We present the case of a patient who was admitted to the intensive care unit due to neurological deterioration and respiratory arrest. He was finally diagnosed as having Marchiafava-Bignami disease. We explain the diagnostic difficulties and therapeutic alternatives of this disease.
Marchiafava-bignami disease in intensive care
 
  Key words
 
 
  
   alcoholism
  
 
 
  
   Marchiafava-Bignami disease
  
 
 
  
   callous body atrophy
  
 
 
  
   dementia
  
 
Chronic alcoholism causes toxicity in the central and peripheral nervous system, Marchiafava-Bignami disease being one of its less frequent complications.
This entity is characterized by demyelinization of the callous body.
The clinical picture is varied, the most frequent symptoms being: <dis>dementia</dis>, <dis>attention disorders</dis>, <dis>gait difficulty</dis> and interhemispheric deconnection syndrome.
Neuroimaging techniques, basically magnetic resonance imaging, are required for its diagnosis.
We present the case of a patient who was admitted to the intensive care unit due to neurological deterioration and respiratory arrest.
He was finally diagnosed as having Marchiafava-Bignami disease.
We explain the diagnostic difficulties and therapeutic alternatives of this disease.
Chronic alcoholism causes toxicity in the central and peripheral nervous system, Marchiafava-Bignami disease being one of its less frequent complications.
This entity is characterized by demyelinization of the callous body.
The clinical picture is varied, the most frequent symptoms being: dementia, attention disorders, gait difficulty and interhemispheric deconnection syndrome.
Neuroimaging techniques, basically magnetic resonance imaging, are required for its diagnosis.
We present the case of a patient who was admitted to the intensive care unit due to neurological deterioration and respiratory arrest.
He was finally diagnosed as having Marchiafava-Bignami disease.
We explain the diagnostic difficulties and therapeutic alternatives of this disease.
We present the case of a patient who was admitted to the intensive care unit due to neurological deterioration and respiratory arrest. He was finally diagnosed as having Marchiafava-Bignami disease. We explain the diagnostic difficulties and therapeutic alternatives of this disease.