For evaluation of the relationship between basal ganglia lesion and portal-systemic encephalopathy, eleven patients with clinically proven liver cirrhosis who had more than 10mm in diameter of superior mesenteric vein on ultrasonogram were
underwent
brain MR imaging. No evidence of clinical and neuropsychiatric disturbance was observed in any of the patients at the time of the MR examination.
Brain MR imaging revealed basal ganglia lesion characterized by bilateral, symmetric, high signal intensity without edema or mass effect on spin echo T1-weighted images in nine patients including the threes with the past history of
portal-systemic
encephalopathy.
The authors concluded that if other causes such as fat, methemoglobin, melanin, neurofibromatosis, dense calcification, and parenteral nutrition which can produce the high signal intensity in basal ganglia on T1-weighted image are excluded,
bilateral
and symmetric high signal intensity lesion in basal ganglia in liver cirrhosis patients with no clinical and neuropsychiatric symptoms who had more than 10mm in diameter of superior mesenteric vein on ultrasonogram can be the useful MR finding of
subclinical portal -systemic encephalopathy.
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