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Case Reports
. 2025 Oct;46(10):5427-5430.
doi: 10.1007/s10072-025-08338-w. Epub 2025 Jul 3.

Reversible intramyelinic cytotoxic edema in a patient with traumatic brain injury

Catalina Barragán  1 , Silvia González-Gómez  2 , Adriana Barrera  1 , Camilo Soler  1
Affiliations
Case Reports

Reversible intramyelinic cytotoxic edema in a patient with traumatic brain injury

Catalina Barragán et al. Neurol Sci. 2025 Oct.

Abstract

We report a case demonstrating magnetic resonance imaging findings of reversible white matter restriction on diffusion-weighted imaging and apparent diffusion coefficient maps in a patient with traumatic brain injury. A 22-year-old man presented to the emergency department following a severe motor vehicle collision. The magnetic resonance imaging revealed multiple focal hemorrhagic contusions, supratentorial diffuse axonal injury, a left parietotemporal subdural laminar hematoma, and extensive diffusion restriction on diffusion coefficient maps involving the deep white matter of the centrum semiovale bilaterally, as well as the splenium of the corpus callosum. The patient was hospitalized, and follow-up magnetic resonance showed a complete resolution of the diffusion-restricted areas. This case illustrates a traumatic brain injury associated with transient, reversible intramyelinic cytotoxic edema.

Keywords: Centrum semiovale; Corpus callosum; Cytotoxic edema; Reversible intramyelinic cytotoxic edema; Traumatic brain injury.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declarations. Ethics approval: Ethical approval was waived by the local Ethics committee of “Hospital Fundación Santa Fé de Bogotá”, in view of the retrospective nature of the case, and all the procedures being performed were part of the routine care. Informed consent: The manuscript does not contain photographs or indications that could be traced back to the patient. The patient gave a written informed consent for case publication. Disclosure: There are no disclosures of each author for this letter.

References

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