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Case Reports
. 2020 Oct 28;16(1):13-17.
doi: 10.1016/j.radcr.2020.10.033. eCollection 2021 Jan.

Subacute combined degeneration of the cervical and dorsal spinal cord in a 40-year-old male patient: A case report

Brecht Van Berkel  1   2 , Jan Vandevenne  1   3 , Riet Vangheluwe  4 , Sofie Van Cauter  1   2
Affiliations
Case Reports

Subacute combined degeneration of the cervical and dorsal spinal cord in a 40-year-old male patient: A case report

Brecht Van Berkel et al. Radiol Case Rep. .

Erratum in

Abstract

Subacute combined degeneration of the spinal cord is a neurologic complication of vitamin B12 deficiency. It presents as a potentially reversible demyelination of the posterior and lateral columns of the cervical and dorsal spinal cord. We present the case of a 40-year-old male with progressive sensory and motor deficit from the lower extremities ascending to the mid-thoracic region. A combination of laboratory tests and magnetic resonance imaging confirmed the diagnosis of subacute degeneration of the spinal cord due to vitamin B12 deficiency.

Keywords: MRI; Spine; Subacute combined degeneration; Vitamin B12.

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Figures

Fig 1
Fig. 1
(a) Sagittal T2WI of the cervicodorsal spine showing longitudinally extensive hyperintense signal changes (white arrows) of the posterior part of the spinal cord. (b) Sagittal T2WI of the cervicodorsal spine showing longitudinally extensive hyperintense signal changes (white arrows) of the posterior part of the spinal cord.
Fig 2
Fig. 2
Sagittal T2WI of the lower dorsal and lumbar spine showing longitudinally extensive hyperintense signal changes (white arrows) in the posterior lower dorsal spinal cord, continuous with the alterations in the cervicodorsal spine. The conus appears normal.
Fig 3
Fig. 3
Axial T2WI of the cervical spinal cord with a bilateral T2 hyperintense signal within the posterior funiculus, demonstrating the “inverted V-sign” sign (white arrow).
Fig 4
Fig. 4
Sagittal T2WI of the cervicodorsal spine showing almost complete regression of hyperintense signal changes of the posterior part of the spinal cord as seen in Fig. 1a, with a residual limited hyperintense signal change in the cervical spinal cord.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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