Methanol poisoning: acute MR and CT findings in nine patients.
BACKGROUND
Methanol poisoning is an uncommon but potent central nervous system toxin. We describe here the CT and MR findings in nine patients following an outbreak of methanol poisoning.


METHODS
Five patients with a typical clinical presentation and elevated anion and osmolar gaps underwent conventional brain MRI with a 1.5-T Gyroscan Interna scanner. In addition nonenhanced CT was performed in another three patients with more severe toxicity.


RESULTS
Bilateral hemorrhagic or nonhemorrhagic necrosis of the putamina, diffuse white matter necrosis, and subarachnoid hemorrhage were among the radiological findings. Various patterns of enhancement of basal ganglial lesions were found including no enhancement, strong enhancement and rim enhancement.


CONCLUSIONS
A good knowledge of the radiological findings in methanol poisoning seems to be necessary for radiologists. The present study is unique in that it enables us to include in a single report most of the radiological findings that have been reported previously.
Sefidbakht
S
S
Department of Radiology, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran.
Rasekhi
A R
AR
Kamali
K
K
Borhani Haghighi
A
A
Salooti
A
A
Meshksar
A
A
Abbasi
H R
HR
Moghadami
M
M
Nabavizadeh
S A
SA
D000136:Acid-Base Equilibrium / Q000502:physiology; D000328:Adult; D001479:Basal Ganglia / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology; D001480:Basal Ganglia Diseases / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000175:diagnosis; D001921:Brain / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology; D002543:Cerebral Hemorrhage / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000175:diagnosis; D004292:Dominance, Cerebral / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D000432:Methanol / Q000506:poisoning*; D009336:Necrosis; D020258:Neurotoxicity Syndromes / Q000175:diagnosis*; D009994:Osmolar Concentration; D011699:Putamen / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology; D013345:Subarachnoid Hemorrhage / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000175:diagnosis; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed
D000432:Methanol