Abstract
Focal lesions limited to the splenium of the corpus callosum are rare and little is known about their etiology. We describe three patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) that presented transient lesions of the corpus callosum. We reviewed three patients with SLE whose magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) results revealed focal lesions in the splenum of corpus callosum. The medical records, including clinical, serological, and treatment features, were reviewed to determine the etiology of these lesions. Of 115 patients who had MRI for research purposes, three patients with focal nonhemorrhagic lesions of the corpus callosum were identified. All patients had active SLE at the time of MRI. One patient had other findings on MRI, including cerebral venous thrombosis. On follow-up MRI, patients had an inactive disease and the corpus callosum lesions disappeared. A transient lesion in the splenium of corpus callosum seems to be a nonspecific endpoint of different disease processes leading to vasogenic edema. The complete and rapid reversibility in all cases with disease control is emphasized and any invasive diagnostic or therapeutic approach is discouraged.
References
Kovacs J, Urowitz M, Gladman D (1993) Dilemmas in neuropsychiatric lupus. Rheum Dis Clin North Am 19:795–819
Hanly JG, Walsh NM, Sangalang V (1992) Brain pathology in systemic lupus erythematosus. J Rheumatol 19:732–741
Leiguarda R, Starkstein S, Berthier M (1989) Anterior callosal hemorrhage: a partial interhemispheric disconnection syndrome. Brain 112:1019–1037
Kuker W, Nagele T, Korfel A, Heckl S, Thiel E, Bamberg M, Weller M, Herrlinger U (2005) Primary central nervous system lymphomas (PCNSL): MRI features at presentation in 100 patients. J Neurooncol 72:169–177
Rabbani O, Bowen LE, Watson RT et al (2004) Alien limb syndrome and Moya-Moya disease. Mov Disord 19:1317–1320
Moroni C, Belin C, Haguenau M et al (2004) Clinical callosum syndrome in a case of multiple sclerosis. Eur J Neurol 11:209–212
Takayama H, Kobayashi K, Sugishita M, Mihara B (2000) Diffusion-weighted imaging demonstrates transient cytotoxicedema involving the corpus callosum in a patient with diffuse brain injury. Clin Neurol Neurosurg 102:135–139
Kim SS, Chang KH, Kim ST, Suh DC, Cheon JE, Jeong SW, Han MH, Lee SK (1999) Focal lesion in the splenium of the corpus callosum in epileptic patients: antiepileptic drug toxicity? AJNR Am J Neuroradiol 20:125–129
Polster T, Hoppe M, Ebner A (2001) Transient lesion in the splenium of the corpus callosum: three further cases in epileptic patients and a pathophysiological hypothesis. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 70:459–463
Tan EM, Cohen AS, Fries JF et al (1982) The 1982 revised criteria for the classification of systemic lupus erythematosus. Arthritis Rheum 25:1271–1277
Liang MH, Corzillius M, Bae SC et al (1999) The American College nomenclature and case definitions for neuropsychiatric lupus syndrome. Arthritis Rheum 42:599–608
Appenzeller S, Rondina JM, Li LM, Costallat LT, Cendes F (2005) Cerebral and corpus callosum atrophy in systemic lupus erythematosus. Arthritis Rheum 52:2783–2789
Hiroshi Ogura, Makoto Takaoka, Masashi Kishi, Masahide Kimoto, Takeshi Shimazu, Toshiharu Yoshioka, Hisashi Sugimoto (1998) Reversible MR findings of hemolytic uremic syndrome with mild encephalopathy. Am J Neuroradiol 19:1144–1145
Schulte T, Sullivan EV, Muller-Oehring EM, Adalsteinsson E, Pfefferbaum A (2005) Corpus callosal microstructural integrity influences interhemispheric processing: a diffusion tensor imaging study. Cereb Cortex 15:1384–1392
Kakou M, Velut S, Destrieux C (1998) Vascularisation artérielle et veineuse du corps calleux. Neurochirurgie 4:31–37
Aboitiz F, Scheibel AB, Fisher RS et al (1992) Fiber composition of the human corpus callosum. Brain Res 558:143–153
Acknowledgement
This study was supported by Fundação de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Appenzeller, S., Faria, A., Marini, R. et al. Focal transient lesions of the corpus callosum in systemic lupus erythematosus. Clin Rheumatol 25, 568–571 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10067-005-0174-1
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10067-005-0174-1