Lateral and Dorsal Column Hyperintensity on Magnetic Resonance Imaging in a Patient with Myelopathy Associated with Intrathecal Chemotherapy

• Main Authors: Fumine Saito, Taku Hatano, Masaaki Hori, Miwako Kawamura, Makoto Sasaki, Shigeki Aoki, Nobutaka Hattori
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Karger Publishers 2013-06-01
• Series: Case Reports in Neurology
• Subjects: Spinal cord; Cytosine arabinoside; Methotrexate; Subacute combined degeneration; Magnetic resonance imaging; Diffusion imaging
• Online Access: http://www.karger.com/Article/FullText/351848

Chemotherapy-related myelopathy mimicking subacute combined degeneration (SCD) has rarely been reported. We encountered a 35-year-old female with sensory ataxia after intrathecal chemotherapy. Spinal magnetic resonance imaging showed localized abnormal signal areas in the lateral and dorsal white matter, mimicking SCD. Diffusion imaging showed restricted water diffusion and increased microstructural complexity, and cerebrospinal fluid analysis showed increased levels of myelin basic proteins, indicating demyelinating myelopathy. Advanced diffusion imaging can provide more information on the microstructure of chemotherapy-related myelopathy.