Marchiafava–Bignami disease after the white matter lesions: A case report

Abstract

Marchiafava–Bignami disease (MBD) is an uncommon alcoholism-related neuropsychiatric disorder, featured with symmetrical demyelination of part or whole corpus callosum (CC). Previous studies reported follow-up neuroimaging changes with necrosis, cystic degeneration, and atrophy of the CC after the diagnosis of MBD, but it is unclear whether the white matter is damaged before MBD. We report a case of alcoholic MBD whose magnetic resonance imaging revealed structural lesions in the white matter before the typical demyelination of CC during MBD, which support the prior hypothesis that chronic hazardous drinking may initially lead to microstructure abnormalities of the white matter and CC through some possible mechanisms, then microstructure lesions in the CC, and white matter deterioration into extensive demyelination, that is MBD. In future clinical practice, when patients with chronic alcoholism seek treatment for neuropsychiatric disorders, they may need to undergo repeated MRI scans to reveal progressive neuroimaging features before and after MBD.