title: Syringomyelia-like manifestation of subacute combined degeneration.
abstract: A 32-year-old male presented with progressive weakness and numbness of both upper limbs of one-month duration. The patient had weakness and wasting of small muscles of both hands with weak grip. Sensory system revealed graded sensory loss to pain, temperature and touch in C5 to T1 distribution and vibration and joint position sense from C5 to C8 in the both upper limbs. There was areflexia in the upper limbs while there was no motor or sensory deficit in the lower limbs. The cortical potential on stimulation of posterior tibial nerve was prolonged on both sides. On MR imaging of the cervical spine there was iso to low intense lesion which was hyperintense on T2-weighted imaging along the dorsal aspect of the cord extending from C2 to C6 level. The axial images showed involvement of the posterior column. The serum vitamin B12 level was found to be low. The patient responded to parenteral cyanocobalamine therapy and the radiological lesion subsequently resolved.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, G.B. Pant Hospital, New Delhi 110 002, India. vpuri@bol.net.in
authors.forename: Vinod
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Puri
authors.forename: Neera
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Chaudhry
authors.forename: Parveen
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Gulati
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D052879:Subacute Combined Degeneration / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology; D013595:Syringomyelia / Q000150:complications* / Q000473:pathology; D014805:Vitamin B 12 / Q000097:blood
chemical_list: D014805:Vitamin B 12