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Three cases of superficial siderosis of the central nervous system and review of the literature

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Abstract

Superficial siderosis of the central nervous system results from chronic or intermittent hemorrhage into the subarachnoid space that causes hemosiderin deposition in subpial layers of the brain and the spinal cord leading to neuronal damage. Patients present with progressive and debilitating symptoms that typically include adult-onset slowly progressive cerebellar gait ataxia and sensorineural hearing impairment. Regardless of extensive investigations, the origin of the hemorrhage is often not clear. Because of the good availability of magnetic resonance imaging, asymptomatic cases of superficial siderosis of the central nervous system are increasingly discovered. SS cases are increasingly reported in the literature. We present three new cases. The etiology, pathogenesis, clinical features, and treatment options of SS are reviewed.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank Dr. Markku Päivärinta and Dr. Janne Lähdesmäki for assistance in finding the SS cases. The authors also thank Dr. Timo Takala for help with the laboratory results.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Neurosurgery, Turku University Hospital, Kiinamyllynkatu 4-8, FI-20521, Turku, Finland

    Jussi P. Posti & Seppo Juvela

  2. Department of Radiology, Turku University Hospital, Kiinamyllynkatu 4-8, FI-20521, Turku, Finland

    Riitta Parkkola

  3. Department of Neurology, Turku University Hospital, Kiinamyllynkatu 4-8, FI-20521, Turku, Finland

    Susanna Roine

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  1. Jussi P. Posti
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  2. Seppo Juvela
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Correspondence to Jussi P. Posti.

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Posti, J.P., Juvela, S., Parkkola, R. et al. Three cases of superficial siderosis of the central nervous system and review of the literature. Acta Neurochir 153, 2067–2073 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00701-011-1116-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00701-011-1116-0

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