The Value of Diffusion‐Weighted Imaging in the Diagnosis of Marchiafava‐Bignami Disease: Apropos of a Case

Abstract

Marchiafava-Bignami disease (MBD) is characterized by demyelination and necrosis of corpus callosum encountered in chronic alcoholic patients. Etiology is the deficiency of vitamin B complex. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in MBD typically reveals focal lesions of high T2 and FLAIR signal intensity in the corpus callosum. We here present a 42-year-old male alcoholic diagnosed as MBD on the basis of MRI and diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) features. The patient totally recovered following appropriate vitamin B complex replacement therapy, despite reduced diffusion in the initial setting. This case report emphasizes on the important role played by MRI and DWI in the early diagnosis and follow-up of this potentially fatal disease.

Clinical Applications of Diffusion

“…Marchiafava-Bignami disease, a rare progressive neurologic disease associated with chronic alcoholism, can also present with T2 prolongation and/or restricted diffusion in the corpus callosum, cerebral cortices, internal capsule, and the thalamus [193][194][195]. The callosal lesion typically involves the splenium but may also involve the body of the corpus callosum [193][194][195][196].…”

Ilımlı Bulgular ile Seyreden bir Marchiafava-Bignami Hastasının Tanısında Diffüzyon Ağırlıklı Manyetik Rezonans Görüntülemenin Katkısı

“…Diffusion-weighted MRI (DWI) is a new technique which has a lot of utility in the rapid diagnosis of ischemic cerebrovascular diseases, and recent studies suggest its potential role as a diagnostic tool in MBD (3)(4)(5). This paper presents a case in which the symptoms of the disease are relatively weak and where the diagnosis was made primarily on cranial imaging data.…”

The Whole Spectrum of Alcohol-Related Changes in the CNS: Practical MR and CT Imaging Guidelines for Daily Clinical Use

“…Edematous lesions of the corpus callosum are an indicative change. However, DWI is often as suitable as T2-weighted sequences for detecting changes [36,37]. In contrast to the alcohol-induced form, the pseudoform usually exclusively affects the central splenium ( • " Fig.…”