Extensive spinal cord involvement in magnetic resonance imaging evaluation on schistosomal myelitis

The diagnosis of schistosomal myelitis (SM) is frequently presumptive because no findings from any complementary examination are pathognomonic for this disease. The present report describes some abnormalities seen on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) evaluation of a series of SM patients and discusses their etiopathogenesis. Methods: This study evaluated SM patients at the time of their diagnosis. These patients routinely underwent MRI on all segments of the spinal cord. Results: Thirteen patients were evaluated. The MRI was abnormal in 12 (92.3%) of them. In 11 patients (84.61%), the damage reached two or more spinal segments. Conclusions: MRI was an important diagnostic aid in this sample, because of the high rate of abnormalities detected. The tissue damage observed on MRI was extensive in the majority of the patients.

Bibliographic Details

Main Authors:	Vidal,Claudio Henrique Fernandes, Ferreira,Maria Lucia Brito, Azevedo Filho,Hildo Rocha Cirne de, Gurgel,Fernando Viana, Brainer-Lima,Alessandra Mertens
Format:	Digital revista
Language:	English
Published:	Academia Brasileira de Neurologia - ABNEURO 2012
Online Access:	http://old.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0004-282X2012000300011
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