Contribution of magnetic resonance imaging to the diagnosis and prognosis of Marchiafava-Bignami disease. Report of a case with a favorable outcome

A patient with a history of chronic alcohol abuse and metal disorders developed a coma due to Marchiafava-Bignami disease. A computed tomography study of the brain was normal, whereas magnetic resonance imaging disclosed a solitary circumscribed lesion in the middle part of the corpus callosum, generating a hypointense signal on T1 images and a hyperintense signal on T2 images. The outcome was favorable. A previous magnetic resonance imaging study done after the onset of the mental disorders was normal, supporting a diagnosis of acute regressive rather than mixed Marchiafava-Bignami disease. (authors)