PHOTO: SUPPLIEDA patient given a dural graft from a cadaver at Dunedin Hospital as a child in the 1980s has recently been diagnosed as having iatrogenic cerebral amyloid angiopathy (iCAA). The rare and potentially transmissable condition is caused by medical procedures involving exposure to pathological amyloid-beta protein ‘‘seeds’’, which travel to the brain. Given the appearance of cortical micro-bleeds, and the history of exposure to cadaveric dural tissue, the researchers tested for iCAA. There have been about 50 cases of iCAA reported in literature, and the onset of clinical symptoms can be reported between 25 and 46 years after exposure to cadaveric dural tissue. The researchers said this case highlighted the importance of considering iCAA in younger patients with a history of dural graft use.

Source: Otago Daily Times March 27, 2026 17:04 UTC