ABSTRACT
Marchiafava- Bignami disease is the symmetrical demyelination of the middle portion of the corpus callosum observed in people with chronic alcoholism. We report two male patients who had history of chronic alcoholism, different clinical presentation and MRI findings consistent with the diagnosis of Marchiafava-Bignami disease.
Subject(s)
Adult , Aged , Alcoholism/complications , Corpus Callosum/pathology , Humans , Magnetic Resonance Imaging , Male , Marchiafava-Bignami Disease/diagnosis , Paresis , Persistent Vegetative State , Risk Factors , Thiamine/therapeutic use , Vitamin B Complex/therapeutic useABSTRACT
Marchiafava-Bignami disease (MBD) is a rare alcohol-related disorder that results in progressive demyelination and necrosis of the corpus callosum. The process may extend to the optic chiasm and tracts, cerebellar peduncle, subcortical resion, neighboring white matter, and rarely, cortical gray matter. We report a case of MBD in which fluid-attenuated inversion recovery and diffusion magnetic resonance imaging studies revealed symmetrical hyperintense lesions in the cerebral cortex in addition to the callosal lesions.