MRI Helps in the Early Diagnosis of Corticobasilar Degeneration

Abstract

We describe MR findings in patients with a clinical diagnosis of corticobasal degeneration (CBD). Five patients with different extrapyramidal symptoms were submitted to MRI. All patients were clinically followed-up for a minimum period of at least 12 months. MRI study was performed on a 0.5 T system (Philips NT 5 II), using conventional SE, TSE and t-FLAIR sequences on axial and coronal planes. In all cases MR showed bilateral parietal cortical atrophy. t-FLAIR sequences demonstrated cortical signal alteration on both parietal and frontal cortex in four cases and on the parietal cortex alone in 1 case. During the follow-up clinical evolution gave rise to the suspicion of CBD. MRI demonstrated parietal cortex atrophy even in those cases in which symptoms at onset were not specific for CBD, thus helping the diagnosis. Moreover MRI, using t-FLAIR sequences suggested CBD diagnosis even in the earlier phases of the disease, in which cortical damage has not yet become evident as atrophy.