High-signal lesions in the midbrain on T1-weighted MRI in an HIV-infected patient.
In addition to opportunistic infections, neoplasms or cerebrovascular complications, metabolic encephalopathies are a classical cause of diffuse brain dysfunction in HIV infection and are frequent in the terminal stage. We report an HIV-infected patient with symmetrical, focally increased signal in the midbrain on proton density-and T1-weighted MRI without corresponding high signal on T2-weighted images or on CT. While the precise nature and cause of this uncommon finding is not fully understood, the available evidence suggests that these lesions might represent a novel metabolic encephalopathy.
Lüttmann
S
S
Department of Neurology, University of Münster, Germany.
Husstedt
I W
IW
Schuierer
G
G
Kuhlenbaümer
G
G
Stodieck
S
S
Riedasch
M
M
Reichelt
D
D
Zidek
W
W
D015526:AIDS Dementia Complex / Q000175:diagnosis*; D000328:Adult; D001928:Brain Diseases, Metabolic / Q000175:diagnosis; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D006679:HIV Seropositivity / Q000175:diagnosis; D015497:HIV-1; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008636:Mesencephalon / Q000473:pathology*; D011712:Pyramidal Tracts / Q000473:pathology; D013378:Substantia Nigra / Q000473:pathology; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed