Myelopathy associated with intrathecal methotrexate

2021 ◽  
pp. practneurol-2021-003154
Author(s):  
Pedro Gustavo Barros Rodrigues ◽  
Talles Tavares de Lima ◽  
Fernando Barroso Duarte ◽  
Paulo Ribeiro Nóbrega

A 21-year-old man developed progressive and bilateral lower limb numbness, gait impairment and urinary incontinence over 10 days. He had received intrathecal methotrexate 20 days previously for acute lymphoblastic B-cell leukaemia, following 7 months of systemic chemotherapy. MR scan of the spinal cord showed bilateral symmetric and extensive T2/fluid attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR) increased signal involving the dorsal columns in the thoracic cord. His serum folate concentration was at the lower end of the normal range. We stopped the intrathecal chemotherapy and gave folate; after a few days, he progressively improved. Myelopathy is an important adverse effect of intrathecal methotrexate, which may cause clinical and imaging features resembling subacute combined degeneration of the spinal cord. CNS infiltration must be excluded, intrathecal chemotherapy stopped and deficiency of folate or vitamin B12 treated as appropriate.

Neurographics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 72-74
Author(s):  
A.K. Kirsch ◽  
S.M. Allison ◽  
S.A. Kilanowski

Subacute combined degeneration is uncommonly a result of nitrous oxide abuse and presents with high signal in the dorsal columns of the spinal cord on T2-weighted MR imaging. We present a case of subacute combined degeneration in a young patient who abused nitrous oxide, which is an uncommon cause and infrequently seen in this patient population. Symptoms are often reversible with treatment of vitamin B12, and radiologists should be aware of these findings to avoid delay in treatment.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Han Gao ◽  
Weishuai Li ◽  
Jing Ren ◽  
Xiaoyu Dong ◽  
Ying Ma ◽  
...  

Objective: To explore the clinical and imaging characteristics of subacute combined degeneration of the spinal cord (SCD) related to recreational nitrous oxide (N2O) use.Methods: Clinical and imaging data were retrospectively collected from patients with SCD related to recreational N2O use who were diagnosed and treated at Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University from January 2016 to June 2020. The clinical and imaging features of patients with recreational N2O-related SCD were compared with those of patients with N2O-unrelated SCD, who were diagnosed and treated during the same period of time.Results: The study enrolled 50 patients (male/female: 22/28, age: 21.4 ± 4.7 years) with N2O-related SCD and 48 patients (male/female: 27/21, age: 62.0 ± 11.4 years) with SCD unrelated to N2O use. The most common signs/symptoms of the patients in both groups were limb numbness and weakness and unsteady gait, but the incidence of limb weakness, unsteady gait, disorders of urination and defecation, anorexia, reduced deep sensation in lower limbs, ataxia, and positive Babinski sign were lower in the N2O-related SCD group than those in the N2O-unrelated SCD group (P < 0.05). The functional disability rating score of patients in the N2O-related SCD group (median: 3, IQR: 2–5) was also significantly lower than the score in the N2O-unrelated SCD group (median: 5, IQR: 4–7) (P < 0.05). The serum vitamin B12 level was significantly lower in the N2O-unrelated SCD group (median: 96 pg/mL, IQR: 50–170 pg/mL) than the level in the N2O-related SCD group (median: 218 pg/mL, IQR:121–350 pg/mL) (P < 0.05), while both groups had similarly increased levels of homocysteine (P > 0.05). Compared with the N2O-unrelated SCD patients, more patients with N2O-related SCD had abnormal spinal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans (80.0 vs. 64.2%). The patients with N2O-related SCD also had wider spinal lesions on sagittal MRI (5.3 ± 0.8 mm vs. 4.2 ± 1.0 mm), fewer spinal segments with lesions (median: 5, IQR: 4–6 segments vs. median: 6, IQR: 5–7.5 segments), and a higher incidence of the inverted V sign on axial MRI (72.0 vs. 31.2%) (all P < 0.05).Conclusion: The recreational use of N2O has become an important cause of SCD in young patients. Compared with the N2O-unrelated SCD patients, the N2O-related SCD patients had less severe clinical presentations, less obvious decrease in serum VB12 levels, and more obvious MRI changes.


2017 ◽  
Vol 6 (12) ◽  
pp. 5562
Author(s):  
Tiana Mary Alexander ◽  
Vineeta Pande ◽  
Sharad Agarkhedkar ◽  
Dnyaneshwar Upase

Megaloblastic anemia is a common feature between 6 months – 2 years and rarely occurs after 5 years of age, especially in a child consuming non-vegetarian diet. B12 deficiency may occur after 5 years of age because of chronic diarrhea, malabsorption syndrome, or intestinal surgical causes. Pernicious anemia causes B12 deficiency, but nutritional B12 deficiency with subacute combined degeneration causing ataxia is rare.


2020 ◽  
Vol 22 (Supplement_2) ◽  
pp. ii41-ii41
Author(s):  
Junjie Zhen ◽  
Lei Wen ◽  
Shaoqun Li ◽  
Mingyao Lai ◽  
Changguo Shan ◽  
...  

Abstract BACKGROUND According to EANO-ESMO clinical practice guidelines, the MRI findings of LM are divided into 4 types, namely linear enhancement (type A), nodular enhancement (type B), linear combined with nodular enhancement (type C), and sign of hydrocephalus (type D). METHODS The MRI features of brain and spinal cord in patients diagnosed with NSCLC-LM in Guangdong Sanjiu Brain Hospital from 2010 until 2019 were investigated, and then were classified into 4 types. The imaging features were analyzed. RESULTS A total of 80 patients were enrolled in the study. The median age of the patients was 53.5 years old, and the median time from the initial diagnosis to the confirmed diagnosis of LM was 11.6 months. The results of enhanced MRI examination of the brain in 79 cases showed that the number of cases with enhancements of type A, B, C and D were 50 (63.3%), 0, 26 (32.9%) and 3 (3.8%), respectively, and that LM with metastases to the brain parenchyma was found in 42 cases (53.2%). The results of enhanced MRI examination of spinal cord in 59 cases showed that there were only enhancements of type A and C in 40 cases (67.8%) and 3 cases (5.0%), and no enhancement sign in the other 16 cases (27.2%). CONCLUSION MRI examination of brain and spinal cord will improve the detection rate of LM. The MRI features of NSCLC-LM in real world are mainly characterized by the linear enhancements of brain and spinal cord, followed by linear combined with nodular enhancement. The enhancements of type B and type D are rare in clinic. Almost half of the patients have LM and metastases to the brain parenchyma. Therefore, the differentiation of tumor metastases is needed to be paid attention to for the early diagnosis and the formulation of reasonable treatment plans.


1998 ◽  
Vol 40 (11) ◽  
pp. 716-719 ◽  
Author(s):  
V. K. Katsaros ◽  
F. X. Glocker ◽  
B. Hemmer ◽  
M. Schumacher

1991 ◽  
Vol 75 (6) ◽  
pp. 911-915 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas H. Milhorat ◽  
David E. Adler ◽  
Ian M. Heger ◽  
John I. Miller ◽  
Joanna R. Hollenberg-Sher

✓ The pathology of hematomyelia was examined in 35 rats following the stereotactic injection of 2 µl blood into the dorsal columns of the thoracic spinal cord. This experimental model produced a small ball-hemorrhage without associated neurological deficits or significant tissue injury. Histological sections of the whole spinal cord were studied at intervals ranging from 2 hours to 4 months after injection. In acute experiments (2 to 6 hours postinjection), blood was sometimes seen within the lumen of the central canal extending rostrally to the level of the fourth ventricle. Between 24 hours and 3 days, the parenchymal hematoma became consolidated and there was an intense proliferation of microglial cells at the perimeter of the lesion. The cells invaded the hematoma, infiltrated its core, and removed erythrocytes by phagocytosis. Rostral to the lesion, the lumen of the central canal was found to contain varying amounts of fibrin, proteinaceous material, and cellular debris for up to 15 days. These findings were much less prominent in the segments of the canal caudal to the lesion. Healing of the parenchymal hematoma was usually complete within 4 to 6 weeks except for residual hemosiderin-laden microglial cells and focal gliosis at the lesion site. It is concluded that the clearance of atraumatic hematomyelia probably involves two primary mechanisms: 1) phagocytosis of the focal hemorrhage by microglial cells; and 2) drainage of blood products in a rostral direction through the central canal of the spinal cord.


2020 ◽  
Vol 22 (Supplement_3) ◽  
pp. iii276-iii276
Author(s):  
Olga Zheludkova ◽  
Lyudmila Olkhova ◽  
Yuri Kushel’ ◽  
Armen Melikyan ◽  
Marina Ryzhova ◽  
...  

Abstract We analyzed 105 patients under 18 years. The median age was 21 months. There were 54 boys and 51 girls. The supratentorial tumors were in 53 patients, infratentorial in 48, and in spinal cord in 4. 60 had stage M0,29-М+and 16-Mx. All the patients got surgical treatment:total tumor removal in 34,subtotal in 37,partial in 30,and biopsy in 4;75 patients got chemoradiotherapy to ATRT-2006;6-CWS;13-EU-RHAB;5-HIT-SKK;individual schemes in 6. RESULTS: 47 are alive,1 was LFU, and 57 died. PFS was 32%±0.05; the five-year OS 40%±0.05. The median survival-30 months, the median progression-free survival-12 months, and the median of follow-up-23 months. PFS was significantly better in patients more than 12 months compared to patients younger than 12 months:40 and 12%;p=0.00161.After total resection PFS was higher compared to subtotal resection, partial resection, and tumor biopsy:48,38,0,and 0%(p=0.025). After chemoradiotherapy, PFS was higher compared to patients without radiotherapy: 49and 0%(р=0.0000000).PFS for stage M0 was higher compared to stage M+and stage Mx:41,15,and 27%,respectively(р=0.00032).PFS was better for the tumors in the spinal cord and infratentorial location compared to the supratentorial location:67,37,and 25%(p=0.0876).The survival rate was higher among the patients who got treatment according to the ATRT-2006 protocol compared to EU-RHAB, individual regimens, CWS, and HIT-SKK:39,19,17,17,and 0% respectively;p=0.00159.The survival was higher among the patients who got intraventricular/intrathecal Methotrexate,Cytarabine, Prednisolone than among the patients who got only Methotrexate or none at all:40,0,and 5%, respectively; p=0.00015. CONCLUSIONS: Survival was significantly better in patients more than 12month, without metastases, with total removal tumor, chemotheradiotherapy by ATRT-2006 protocol with i/t, i/v Methotrexate/Cytarabine/Prednisolone.


2016 ◽  
Vol 18 (12) ◽  
pp. 1680-1687 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ken Chang ◽  
Biqi Zhang ◽  
Xiaotao Guo ◽  
Min Zong ◽  
Rifaquat Rahman ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Bevacizumab is a humanized antibody against vascular endothelial growth factor approved for treatment of recurrent glioblastoma. There is a need to discover imaging biomarkers that can aid in the selection of patients who will likely derive the most survival benefit from bevacizumab. Methods The aim of the study was to examine if pre- and posttherapy multimodal MRI features could predict progression-free survival and overall survival (OS) for patients with recurrent glioblastoma treated with bevacizumab. The patient population included 84 patients in a training cohort and 42 patients in a testing cohort, separated based on pretherapy imaging date. Tumor volumes of interest were segmented from contrast-enhanced T1-weighted and fluid attenuated inversion recovery images and were used to derive volumetric, shape, texture, parametric, and histogram features. A total of 2293 pretherapy and 9811 posttherapy features were used to generate the model. Results Using standard radiographic assessment criteria, the hazard ratio for predicting OS was 3.38 (P < .001). The hazard ratios for pre- and posttherapy features predicting OS were 5.10 (P < .001) and 3.64 (P < .005) for the training and testing cohorts, respectively. Conclusion With the use of machine learning techniques to analyze imaging features derived from pre- and posttherapy multimodal MRI, we were able to develop a predictive model for patient OS that could potentially assist clinical decision making.


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