title: Cortical involvement in Marchiafava-Bignami disease can be a predictor of a poor prognosis: a case report and review of the literature.
abstract: Marchiafava-Bignami disease (MBD) is a rare alcohol-associated disorder characterized by demyelination and necrosis of the corpus callosum. We herein present the case of a 56-year-old man with chronic alcoholism who was admitted to our hospital in a coma without focal or lateralizing neurological signs. MRI revealed a callosal lesion consistent with MBD and additional bifrontal linear cortical lesions. The callosal lesion completely disappeared with intravenous administration of high-dose multivitamins and corticosteroids, although the patient remained in a vegetative state. This case further supports the notion that cortical involvement in patients with MBD is a predictor of a poor prognosis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Jichi Medical University, Japan. mnamekaw@jichi.ac.jp
authors.forename: Michito
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Namekawa
authors.forename: Yuko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Nakamura
authors.forename: Imaharu
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Nakano
mesh_terms: D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D054319:Marchiafava-Bignami Disease / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis*; D008875:Middle Aged; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011379:Prognosis