Semin Neurol 2008; 28: 495-510 DOI: 10.1055/s-0028-1083684
© Thieme Medical Publishers
Neuroimaging of Toxic and Metabolic Disorders
Ashish Arora1, Mohit Neema1, James Stankiewicz1, Zachary D. Guss1, Jason G. Guss1, Leon Prockop3, Rohit Bakshi1,2
1 Department of Neurology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 2 Department of Radiology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 3 Department of Neurology, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida

ABSTRACT

Imaging of the brain, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in particular, is a key adjunctive tool in the diagnosis and management of toxic-metabolic disorders such as alcoholism, mitochondrial encephalopathies, disorders of iron or copper metabolism, exposure to carbon monoxide, radiotherapy, immunosuppressive agents, toluene, and recreational drugs. In this article, we review the neuroimaging findings of common toxic and metabolic disorders focusing on the role of conventional MRI. We also consider advanced imaging methods, such as magnetic resonance spectroscopy, diffusion MRI, and positron emission tomography. We hope this article will prove useful to trainees and practitioners in the clinical and imaging fields of the neurosciences.

KEYWORDS

Toxin exposure - metabolic disorders - MRI - brain - neurotoxicity