MRI of adult hypoglycemic encephalopathy

Objective: To determine the MRI features of adult hypoglycemic encephalopathy (HE). Methods: Conventional MRI sequences including T₁WI, T₂WT, T₂-FLAIR and DWI of 15 patients (6 men, 9 women; mean age 53.8 years) with clinically diagnosed hypoglycemic encephalopathy were analyzed retrospectively. Results: The MRI of all 15 patients showed unilateral or bilateral symmetrical patchy, stripe or gyral patterns of hypointensities on T₁WI and hyperintensities on T₂WI and DWI in the splenium of corpus callosum (4/15), head of caudate nucleus (1/15), basal ganglia, hippocampus, substantia nigra and cerebral cortex (5/15). Follow-up MRI after 2 weeks of treatment showed significant lesion absorption on 3/15 patients. Conclusion: MRI of adult hypoglycemic encephalopathy shows characteristically edema with reduced diffusion in the corpus callosum, basal ganglia, hippocampus, substantia nigra and/or cerebral cortex. (authors)