Clinics in diagnostic imaging (193). Sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (sCJD)

A 68-year-old man presented with a three-week history of rapidly progressive dementia, gait ataxia and myoclonus. Subsequent electroencephalography showed periodic sharp wave complexes, and cerebrospinal fluid assay revealed the presence of a 14-3-3 protein. A probable diagnosis of sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease was made, which was further supported by magnetic resonance (MR) imaging of the brain showing asymmetric signal abnormality in the cerebral cortices and basal ganglia. The aetiology, clinical features, diagnostic criteria, various MR imaging patterns and radiologic differential diagnosis of sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease are discussed in this article.