Malignant bilateral exophthalmos and secondary glaucoma in iatrogenic Cushing's syndrome.

The authors describe a case of iatrogenic Cushing's syndrome in which an emergency orbital decompression was performed. This procedure was necessary because major ocular hypertension and severe bilateral exophthalmos had caused a decrease in visual function and recurrent painful episodes of eyeball luxation.

The value of gadolinium-chelates enhancement in neuroradiology.

The authors review the general requirements for contrast enhancement after gadolinium administration, peculiar status and function of the brain-blood barrier (BBB), effect of corticoids on the broken BBB, parallelism between the effects of iodinated contrast agents on CT and gadolinium-chelates on MRI. The mechanisms producing enhancement differ completely, which explains the potential qualitative and quantitative differences between the techniques in vascular compartment or cerebral tissue. The effects of contrast medium doses and strength of the main magnetic field, contrast enhancement and time, enhancement and pulse sequence data are discussed.

Neurotoxicity to the basal ganglia shown by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) following poisoning by methanol and other substances.

Objective: To define specific brain magnetic resonance features in methanol intoxicated patients and to evaluate the clinical relevance of monitoring these features.

Background: During the past decade magnetic resonance imaging has proven to be an exquisitely sensitive modality in depicting subtle water changes in diseased areas of the brain, allowing the definition of high-risk structures in numerous pathological conditions.

Method: Four patients admitted to our institution for acute methanol intoxication were repeatedly evaluated by brain magnetic resonance imaging or a combination of computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging.

[Intracerebral tumor calcifications unrecognized by MRI].

Calcifications of a subependymal giant cell astrocytoma were not recognized by MR. Therefore a CT scan is recommended before stereotaxic needle biopsy in order to avoid intracerebral hemorrhage.

MRI of cervical cord lesions and their resolution in Toxocara canis myelopathy.

We report serial MRI findings in a 58-year-old man with cervical cord involvement by Toxocara canis, in whom antihelminthic chemotherapy yielded improvement of the neurological deficits and cord lesions seen on MRI.

Whipple disease confined to the central nervous system in childhood.

In a case of pediatric Whipple disease confined to the central nervous system, white matter lesions initially appeared as areas of very low signal intensity on T1-weighted MR images and as areas of hyperintensity on proton density-weighted and T2-weighted images, and showed slight peripheral enhancement on delayed contrast-enhanced T1-weighted images. On MR studies obtained 3 and 6 months after antibiotic therapy, the lesions had decreased in size and no longer enhanced. They became progressively less hypointense on T1-weighted images and less hyperintense on T2-weighted images.

MRI of the spine in cobalamin deficiency: the value of examining both spinal cord and bone marrow.

We observed a case of pernicious anaemia in which MRI of the spine demonstrated both intrinsic lesions of the spinal cord and abnormal signal in the bone marrow. The latter resolved with replacement therapy. Only partial recovery of the cord lesions was observed.

[Tropical spastic paraparesis due to HTLV-I. 4 case reports and literature review].

We describe the clinical, radiological, neurophysiological and biological characteristics of 4 patients suffering from tropical spastic paraparesis due to a HTLV-I infection. Patient 1 immigrated in Europe at the age of 16 from Caribbean islands. Patient 2 was a White male Caucasian who lived during several years with a prostitute also native of Caribbean islands.

Whipple's disease confined to the central nervous system.

We report a 49-year-old woman with a left parietal lesion, shown on CT and MRI as an isolated ring-enhancing mass. The diagnosis of cerebral Whipple's disease was made by brain biopsy; there were no gastrointestinal symptoms nor periodic-acid Schiff-positive inclusions in the jejunal mucosa. This case illustrates atypical Whipple's disease, confined exclusively to the central nervous system.

Neuromuscular hamartoma of the internal auditory canal.

We describe the clinical presentation and surgical findings of a 42-year-old man who was found to have a unilateral sensorineural deafness due to a hamartoma of the internal auditory canal.

Intracochlear schwannoma.

In the case reported evaluation of unilateral endocochlear deafness in a 44-year-old man led to a diagnosis of a small intracanalicular neurinoma of the cochlear nerve which had invaded the first turn of the cochlear spiral.

Gout in the cervical spine: MR pattern mimicking diskovertebral infection.

We report the MR features of a surgically proved cervical spine involved with gouty tophi in a patient with a long history of hyperuricemia. Tophi appeared as sharply delineated areas of low signal intensity on T1 and T2 MR images and showed intense and homogeneous signal enhancement on post-contrast images.

Brain glucose utilization in band heterotopia: synaptic activity of "double cortex".

Regional brain glucose utilization was investigated with positron emission tomography and fluorodeoxyglucose in 2 patients with a seizure disorder associated with diffuse band heterotopia, a condition known as "double cortex." Although 1 patient was examined shortly after the onset of the first seizures, the other had a long history of intractable epilepsy before examination. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed a symmetric and generalized band of ectopic gray matter and an overlying normal-looking cortex, without focal abnormality.

Transient epiphyseal lesions in renal transplant recipients: presumed insufficiency stress fractures.

Purpose: To determine epiphyseal abnormalities in renal transplant recipients.

Materials And Methods: Initial and final findings on serial conventional radiographs and magnetic resonance (MR) images obtained in symptomatic joints of transplant recipients were determined and correlated.

Results: In 42 of 47 joints, T1-weighted MR images depicted 106 ill-delimited areas of low signal intensity.

Intravertebral vacuum cleft: changes in content after supine positioning.

Sequential radiographic and magnetic resonance (MR) imaging examinations were performed in nine patients with an intravertebral vacuum cleft indicative of avascular necrosis. Progressive changes in the content of the cleft occurred within an hour after the patients were placed in a supine position. Initially, the cleft showed a gaslike pattern during extension of the spine, with a radiolucent band on radiographs and a signal void on MR images.