Magnetic resonance imaging presentations of 26 patients with neurosyphilis / 中华神经科杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective To analyses the magnetic resonance imaging(MRI)findings of different clinical patterns of neurosyphilis(NS).Methods Clinical records and MRI of 26 patients with NS were retrospectively studied.Results Abnormal MRI was found in 17 patients of 26 patients with NS.In 7 patients were with meningo-vascular syphilis,the MRI commonly showed multiple cerebral ischemia focus and cerebral infarction focus,very few similar to those of encephalitis;Six patients had general paresis,who presented cerebral MRI abnormalities of frontal and temporal atrophy,and few simultaneously with cerebral ischemia focus,granular apendymitis and hippocampus sclerosis;Three patients had syphilitic myelitis,their MRI showed mild tumefaction with multiple ischemic focus all the way through lower cervical spinal cord to lower thoracic spinal cordOne patient was with tabes dorsalis,whose cerebral MRI showed ischemic locus.Another 9 patients had normal MRI,of whom 4 patients with meningitis NS and 5 with tabes dorsalis.Conclusion The MRI of neurosyphilis has diverse presentations,and clinicians should pay much attention to it.