ABSTRACT
Superficial siderosis of the central nervous system is a chronic condition characterized by hemosiderin deposition in the brain and spinal cord. It's diagnosed by brain MRI. It can be caused by low-grade extravasation of blood into the subarachnoid space of the brain. There are 2 types of superficial siderosis cortical and infratentorial. Although asymptomatic in many cases; Cerebellar-predominant siderosis, a subtype of infratentorial, can affect hearing, gait, and even muscles. In this report, we present a case of a 51-year old female with complaints of hearing loss, unsteadiness in his lower limb, and spastic paresis. During MRI neuroimaging, we noticed findings of hypointensity areas within the brainstem and cerebellum, probably due to hemosiderin deposition. Based on the MRI findings, the patient was diagnosed with superficial siderosis. The patient was started on deferiprone and followed for the consecutive 18 months. Moderate improvement of the hearing loss and ataxia was noted while no change in muscle force. However, the repetitive MRI did not reveal any changes compared to the previous one.
ABSTRACT
Acute transverse myelitis is an inflammatory condition covering the entire cross section of the spinal cord, spreading on two or more vertebral segments, without evidence of a compressive lesion. This shows clinically as an acute or subacute onset of paraparesis, lower limb paresthesia, sensory deficits, and impaired sphincter function. Mycobacterium tuberculosis is exceedingly rare cause of this inflammation, with a mechanism still not fully understood. The main etiologies are thought to be an abnormal activation of the immune system against the neuronal cells of the medulla, direct inoculation of the bacillus, and the toxic effect of the antitubercular medications on the spinal cord. We present the case of a 26-year-old male patient with acute symptoms of transverse myelitis and presence of miliary tuberculosis of the lungs. The purpose of this case report is to put the emphasis on the importance of distinguishing the characteristics of tubercular lesions on imaging modalities, especially on magnetic resonance imaging, in the differential diagnosis of tuberculosis as a rare but profoundly serious cause of acute transverse myelitis.