Decreased diffusion in central pontine myelinolysis.
Two patients with central pontine myelinolysis (CPM) were studied with diffusion-weighted MR imaging 1 week after onset of tetraplegia. In both patients, affected white matter showed hyperintensity on diffusion-weighted images associated with a decrease in apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values. In one patient studied serially, ADC values normalized by 3 weeks after tetraplegia. Early in the clinical course, diagnosis of CPM can sometimes be difficult. Hyperintensity on diffusion-weighted images may therefore have diagnostic utility. Decreased lesional ADC values support the notion that CPM is a consequence of relative intracellular hypotonicity.
Cramer
S C
SC
Department of Neurology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA.
Stegbauer
K C
KC
Schneider
A
A
Mukai
J
J
Maravilla
K R
KR
D000328:Adult; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017590:Myelinolysis, Central Pontine / Q000175:diagnosis*; D011149:Pons / Q000473:pathology*