Anti-N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor encephalitis: an adolescent with ovarian teratoma

Objective To investigate the clinical presentation,diagnosis,and surgical management of anti-N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor encephalitis.Methods One case of anti-NMDA receptor encephalitis in a previously healthy 17-year-old female related to the development of NMDA receptor autoantibodies triggered by an ovarian teratoma was reported.The related literature was reviewed and the clinical feature was summarized.Results Removal of the ovarian teratoma combined with intravenous immuneglobulin and corticosteroid proved curative with eventual resolution of the paraneoplastic disease process and associated psychiatric symptoms.Conclusion Increasingly,reports of anti-NMDA receptor encephalitis associated with ovarian teratomas,as well as a novel assay to measure these antibodies suggest an etiology for this disease process that may be amenable to prompt surgical excision. Key words: Receptors, N-methyl-D-aspartate; Limbic encephalitis; Teratoma