2009
DOI: 10.3174/ajnr.a1889
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Methadone-Induced Toxic Leukoencephalopathy: MR Imaging and MR Proton Spectroscopy Findings

Abstract: SUMMARY:We report the clinical, MR imaging, and proton MR spectroscopy findings in a middle-aged woman with proved methadone-induced toxic leukoencephalopathy. The imaging characteristics of this unusual condition have been reported only rarely in the medical literature. We show that the imaging findings in methadone-induced toxic leukoencephalopathy are similar, though not identical, to previously reported cases of neurologic deterioration due to heroin inhalation. ABBREVIATIONS:Cho ϭ choline; Cr ϭ creatine; … Show more

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Cited by 53 publications
(44 citation statements)
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“…No case showed complete recovery, clinically or radiologically. One 62-year-old woman made a gradual recovery from this syndrome following accidental methadone overdose 8. Also, a 37-year-old man had a good outcome following ingestion of methadone and diazepam, with no functional deficits at 2 years,9 having had extensive white matter hyperintensities on imaging.…”
Section: Discussionmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…No case showed complete recovery, clinically or radiologically. One 62-year-old woman made a gradual recovery from this syndrome following accidental methadone overdose 8. Also, a 37-year-old man had a good outcome following ingestion of methadone and diazepam, with no functional deficits at 2 years,9 having had extensive white matter hyperintensities on imaging.…”
Section: Discussionmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…Methadone abuse has been reported to precede catatonia and extrapyramidal symptoms, with MRI images demonstrating extensive, symmetric signal-intensity abnormalities in deep white matter. These findings have been compared to the more familiar toxic leukoencephalopathy from heroin pyrosylate [66,67]. In the 1980s, "chasing the dragon," inhaling the thick white pyrosylate generated by heating heroin base on aluminum foil, was implicated in an unexplained spongiform encephalopathy in the Netherlands.…”
Section: Case Continuationmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…Numerous other drugs of abuse have been associated with toxic leukoencephalopathy to a lesser extent. These include the psychoactive drug 2C-E "Europa" [15], oxycodone [24], and methadone [25,26].…”
Section: Discussionmentioning
confidence: 99%