Open AccessDiffusion weighted MR imaging of 5-fluorouracil and oxaliplatin-induced leukoencephalopathy
Author(s) -
Birinder S. Paul,
Gagandeep Singh,
Rajinder Bansal,
Gunchan Paul
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
journal of postgraduate medicine/journal of postgraduate medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.405
H-Index - 52
eISSN - 0972-2823
pISSN - 0022-3859
DOI - 10.4103/0022-3859.113845
Subject(s) - medicine , magnetic resonance imaging , discontinuation , leukoencephalopathy , corpus callosum , white matter , oxaliplatin , radiology , encephalopathy , chemotherapy , colorectal cancer , pathology , cancer
A 55-year-old man treated with 5-fluorouracil and oxaliplatin for advanced sigmoid colon cancer presented with seizures, progressive gait and balance difficulties with frequent falls and slurring of speech. After three cycles of chemotherapy, brain magnetic resonance imaging using diffusion-weighted imaging clearly revealed the presence of high signal intensity in the deep white matter of the bilateral cerebral hemispheres, including the corpus callosum symmetrically. A diagnosis of acute leukoencephalopathy was made based on these findings. His clinical symptoms normalized after the discontinuation of the chemotherapy. Early detection of drug-induced leukoencephalopathy is important as the clinical symptoms can be reversed by early discontinuation of the causative drug. Diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging is a useful modality for the early detection and definitive diagnosis of this characteristic encephalopathy.