Anti-N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor encephalitis associated with mediastinal teratoma: a rare case report and literature review

Anti-N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (anti-NMDAR) encephalitis is a recently identified neuroautoimmune disorder characterized by antibodies against the heteromeric NR1–NR2 receptor complex. To our best knowledge, anti-NMDAR encephalitis combined with mediastinal teratoma is extremely rare with only three cases been reported in literature worldwide. In this article, we present an 18 years old female diagnosed as anti-NMDAR encephalitis caused by a large mature mediastinal teratoma whose initial manifestations were acute headache and seizures. She was treated with intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg) and surgical resection with a complete recovery. Our case shows that tumor resection along with prompt immunotherapy are effective treatment of the disease.