Marchiafava-Bignami disease (MBD): management

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) brain

• Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
• This shows reduced T1 and increased T2 signals in the lesions
• There may be contrast enhancement on MRI
• There is no significant mass effect
• It may show the ears of the Lynx sign: as in HSP with thin corpus callosum (SPG11)

Computed tomography (CT) head

Treatment

References

1. Singer E, Bhatt K, Prashad A, Rudman L, Gadelmoula I, Michel G. Diagnosis and management of Marchiafava-Bignami disease, a rare neurological complication of long-term alcohol abuse. Discoveries (Craiova) 2023; 11:e168.
2. Hillbom M, Saloheimo P, Fujioka S, Wszolek ZK, Juvela S, Leone MA. Diagnosis and management of Marchiafava-Bignami disease: review of CT/MRI confirmed cases. JNNP 2014; 85:168-173.
3. Hoshino Y, Ueno Y, Shimura H, et al. Marchiafava-Bignami disease mimics motor neuron disease: case report. BMC Neurol 2013; 13:208. 
4. Pacheco FT, Rego MM, do Rego JI, da Rocha AJ. "Ears of the lynx" sign in a marchiafava-bignami patient: structural basis and fiber-tracking DTI contribution to the understanding of this imaging abnormality. J Neuroimaging 2014; 24:205-207.
5. Riverol M, Samaranch L, Pascual B, et al. Forceps minor region signal abnormality "ears of the lynx": an early MRI finding in spastic paraparesis with thin corpus callosum and mutations in the spatacsin gene (SPG11) on chromosome 15. J Neuroimaging 2009; 19:52-60.

Related checklists

• Marchiafava-Bignami disease (MBD): clinical features
• Marchiafava-Bignami disease (MBD): differential diagnosis