Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

The claustrum on MRI: Normal anatomy, and the bright claustrum as a new sign in Wilson's disease

  • Originals
  • Published:
Pediatric Radiology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

One hundred MRI examinations of normal subjects obtained at 0.5 T were studied in an effort to evaluate the claustrum and to establish a control group for patients with Wilson's disease. The claustrum was detectable unilaterally or bilaterally in 40 out of 100 subjects (40%) on spin-echo long TR (proton density and T2-weighted) MR images as a thin sheet of grey matter enclosed by low signal white matter of the external and extreme capsules. Spin-echo T1-weighted images were negative for the claustrum, however, it was identifiable in 12 out of 25 subjects (48%) studied utilizing the inversion recovery pulse sequence. In addition, eight patients with clinically established diagnoses of Wilson's disease were evaluated. The claustrum was normal (invisible) in four neurologically asymptomatic Wilson's disease patients, however, in 75% (n=3) of the four neurologically symptomatic patients it was bilaterally thickened and bright on long-TR MR images. The bright claustrum appears to be a new sign in Wilson's disease.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Starosta-Rubinstein S, Young AB, Kluin K, Hill G, Aisen AM, Gabrielsen T, Brewer GJ (1987) Clinical assessment of 31 patients with Wilson's disease: correlations with structural changes on magnetic resonance imaging. Arch Neurol 44: 365

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  2. Aisen AM, Martel W, Gabrielsen TO, Glazer GM, Brewer G, Young AB, Hill G (1985) Wilson disease of the brain: MR imaging. Radiology 157: 137

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  3. Lawler GA, Pennock JM, Steiner RE, Jenkins WJ, Sherlock S, Young IR (1983) Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) imaging in Wilson disease. J Comput Assist Tomogr 7: 1

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  4. Prayer L, Wimberger D, Kramer J, Grimm G, Oder W, Imhof H (1990) Cranial MRI in Wilson's disease. Neuroradiology 32: 211

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  5. Wilson SAK (1912) Progressive lenticular degeneration: a familial nervous disease associated with cirrhosis of the liver. Brain 34: 295

    Google Scholar 

  6. Sener RN (1993) Wilson's disease: MRI demonstration of cavitations in basal ganglia and thalami. Pediatr Radiol 23: 157

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  7. Williams PL, Warwick R, Dyson M, Bannister LH (1989) Gray's anatomy, 37th edn. Churchill Livingstone, Edinburgh, p. 1080.

    Google Scholar 

  8. Brugieres P, Combes C, Ricolfi F, Degos JD, Poirier J, Gaston A (1992) Atypical MR presentation of Wilson disease: a possible consequence of paramagnetic effect of copper. Neuroradiology 34: 222

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  9. Yuh WTC, Flickinger FW (1988) Unusual MR findings in CNS Wilson disease. AJR 151: 834

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Radiology, Ege University Hospital, Bornova, 35100-TR, Izmir, Turkey

    R. N. Sener

Authors
  1. R. N. Sener
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Sener, R.N. The claustrum on MRI: Normal anatomy, and the bright claustrum as a new sign in Wilson's disease. Pediatr Radiol 23, 594–596 (1993). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02014975

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02014975

Keywords

Search

Navigation