title: Demyelinating and gliotic cerebellar lesions in Langerhans cell histiocytosis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To describe the involvement of the cerebellum by a gliotic and demyelinating process in Langerhans cell histiocytosis.
  
  
  METHODS
  A retrospective analysis of all (N = 30) cases of Langerhans cell histiocytosis followed at our institution since 1975 yielded four patients with CT and/or MR evidence of cerebellar abnormalities.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Four patients manifested strikingly similar findings of symmetric nonenhancing hypodensities in the dentate nuclei region of the cerebellum, which were hypointense on short-repetition-time/short-echo-time MR and hyperintense on long-repetition-time/long-echo-time MR. Biopsy in one patient yielded areas of demyelination, cell loss, and gliosis without histiocytic infiltration.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Langerhans cell histiocytosis involves the cerebellum in a specific and poorly understood manner. Lesions on imaging may precede clinical findings by years. Lesions may occur in patients who have never experienced radiation therapy and may act as a marker for eventual central nervous system deterioration.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, State University of New York Health Science Center at Syracuse.
authors.forename: L B
authors.initials: LB
authors.lastname: Poe
authors.forename: R L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Dubowy
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Hochhauser
authors.forename: G H
authors.initials: GH
authors.lastname: Collins
authors.forename: C J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Crosley
authors.forename: M D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Kanzer
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Oliphant
authors.forename: C J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Hodge
mesh_terms: D001706:Biopsy; D002526:Cerebellar Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis*; D002529:Cerebellar Nuclei / Q000473:pathology; D002531:Cerebellum / Q000473:pathology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003711:Demyelinating Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis*; D005260:Female; D005911:Gliosis / Q000175:diagnosis; D006644:Histiocytes / Q000473:pathology; D006646:Histiocytosis, Langerhans-Cell / Q000175:diagnosis*; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D009186:Myelin Sheath / Q000473:pathology; D009460:Neurologic Examination; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed