The role of MRI in the diagnosis of sporadic and variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease

Abstract

Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) is a rare but important fatal, dementing illness. A number of types of CJD are identified, each with distinct clinical features. Characteristic MRI changes have been described recently. Sporadic CJD, the commonest type, is found worldwide, and causes hyperintensity of the putamen and caudate nuclei. In the recently described variant CJD, which affects younger patients and has been linked to Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) in cattle, a highly characteristic finding of bilateral hyperintensity of the pulvinar nuclei is seen. The MRI features of CJD are reviewed in this article.