Rinsho Shinkeigaku (Clinical Neurology)

Brief Clinical Note

A case of Marchiafava-Bignami disease: serial changes with diffusion-weighted MR imaging

Naoto Sugeno, M. D. 1), Makiko Nagai, M. D. 1), Yusei Shiga, M. D. 1), Gonzou Shiina, M. D. 2) and Yasuto Itoyama, M. D. 1)

1)Division of Neurology, Department of Neuroscience Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine
2)Department of Neurosurgery, Watanabe Hospital

We report a 34-year-old man who presented with alcohol-withdrawal delirium. In the early phase, diffusion-weighted MR imaging demonstrating a high intensity area in the corpus callosum, indicating Marchiafava-Bignami disease. T2-weighted MR imaging did not clearly show the lesion. He was treated and completely recovered in terms of clinical state and MRI findings. Although historically the most of Marchiafava-Bignami disease was not cured, it seems that the lesion is reversible by management in the early stage. We propose that diffusion-weighted MR imaging is useful for the early detection of Marchiafava-Bignami disease.

(CLINICA NEUROL, 42: 51|53, 2002)
key words: Marchiafava-Bignami disease, DWI, corpus callosum

(Received: 30-Jan-02)