American Journal of Neuroradiology, Vol 19, Issue 2 369-377, Copyright © 1998 by American Society of Neuroradiology
ARTICLES |
Neuroradiologic findings in children with mitochondrial disorders
L Valanne, L Ketonen, A Majander, A Suomalainen and H Pihko
Department of Radiology, Hospital for Children and Adolescents, Helsinki, Finland.
PURPOSE: We report the neuroradiologic findings in 25 children with various mitochondrial diseases. METHODS: Twenty-two children with a mitochondrial disorder had MR imaging of the brain and three children had CT studies. In all cases, the diagnosis was based on examination of muscle morphology, analysis of oxygen consumption and respiratory chain enzyme activity in isolated muscle mitochondria, and analysis of rearrangements of the mitochondrial DNA. RESULTS: Fifteen patients were found to have the classical syndromes of mitochondrial diseases. Four children had Kearns-Sayre syndrome, but only one had the typical neuroradiologic findings of basal ganglia and brain stem lesions, T2 hyperintensity of the cerebral white matter, and cerebellar atrophy; the others had nonspecific or normal findings. Eight patients had Leigh syndrome, and all showed changes in the putamina. Involvement of the caudate nuclei, globus pallidi, thalami, and brain stem was common, and diffuse supratentorial white matter T2 hyperintensity was seen in two of these patients. Three patients had mitochondrial encephalopathy with lactic acidosis and strokelike episodes (MELAS), with infarctlike lesions that did not correspond to the vascular territories. Ten children with complex I or IV deficiencies and abnormal muscle morphology had nonspecific imaging findings, such as atrophy and abnormal or delayed myelination. One patient with combined complex I and IV deficiency had extensive white matter changes. None of the patients with clinical encephalopathy had normal findings. CONCLUSION: MR imaging is helpful in the diagnosis of the classical mitochondrial diseases; however, nonspecific findings are common.
This article has been cited by other articles:
![]() |
K. J. Staley, K. B. Sims, P. E. Grant, and E. T. Hedley-Whyte Case 28-2008 -- An 8-Day-Old Infant with Congenital Deafness, Lethargy, and Hypothermia N. Engl. J. Med., September 11, 2008; 359(11): 1156 - 1167. [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
R. H. Haas, S. Parikh, M. J. Falk, R. P. Saneto, N. I. Wolf, N. Darin, and B. H. Cohen Mitochondrial Disease: A Practical Approach for Primary Care Physicians Pediatrics, December 1, 2007; 120(6): 1326 - 1333. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
L.M. Leijser, L.S. de Vries, M.A. Rutherford, A.Y. Manzur, F. Groenendaal, T.J. de Koning, M. van der Heide-Jalving, and F.M. Cowan Cranial Ultrasound in Metabolic Disorders Presenting in the Neonatal Period: Characteristic Features and Comparison with MR Imaging AJNR Am. J. Neuroradiol., August 1, 2007; 28(7): 1223 - 1231. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
S.-H. Chung, S.-C. Chen, W.-J. Chen, and C.-C. Lee Symmetric basal ganglia calcification in a 9-year-old child with MELAS Neurology, November 8, 2005; 65(9): E19 - E19. [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
F. Scaglia, L.-J. C. Wong, G. D. Vladutiu, and J. V. Hunter Predominant Cerebellar Volume Loss as a Neuroradiologic Feature of Pediatric Respiratory Chain Defects AJNR Am. J. Neuroradiol., August 1, 2005; 26(7): 1675 - 1680. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
H. M. Barragan-Campos, J.-N. Vallee, D. Lo, C. F. Barrera-Ramirez, M. Argote-Greene, J. Sanchez-Guerrero, B. Estanol, R. Guillevin, and J. Chiras Brain Magnetic Resonance Imaging Findings in Patients With Mitochondrial Cytopathies Arch Neurol, May 1, 2005; 62(5): 737 - 742. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
M. Tardieu, F. Brunelle, C. Raybaud, W. Ball, B. Barret, B. Pautard, E. Lachassine, M.-J. Mayaux, and S. Blanche Cerebral MR Imaging in Uninfected Children Born to HIV-Seropositive Mothers and Perinatally Exposed to Zidovudine AJNR Am. J. Neuroradiol., April 1, 2005; 26(4): 695 - 701. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
B. Meissner, K. Kohler, K. Kortner, M. Bartl, U. Jastrow, B. Mollenhauer, A. Schroter, M. Finkenstaedt, O. Windl, S. Poser, et al. Sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease: Magnetic resonance imaging and clinical findings Neurology, August 10, 2004; 63(3): 450 - 456. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
M. C. Bianchi, M. Tosetti, R. Battini, M. L. Manca, M. Mancuso, G. Cioni, R. Canapicchi, and G. Siciliano Proton MR Spectroscopy of Mitochondrial Diseases: Analysis of Brain Metabolic Abnormalities and Their Possible Diagnostic Relevance AJNR Am. J. Neuroradiol., November 1, 2003; 24(10): 1958 - 1966. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
M. Crimi, S. Galbiati, I. Moroni, A. Bordoni, M. P. Perini, E. Lamantea, M. Sciacco, M. Zeviani, I. Biunno, M. Moggio, et al. A missense mutation in the mitochondrial ND5 gene associated with a Leigh-MELAS overlap syndrome Neurology, June 10, 2003; 60(11): 1857 - 1861. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
A. Rossi, R. Biancheri, C. Bruno, M. Di Rocco, A. Calvi, A. Pessagno, and P. Tortori-Donati Leigh Syndrome with COX Deficiency and SURF1 Gene Mutations: MR Imaging Findings AJNR Am. J. Neuroradiol., June 1, 2003; 24(6): 1188 - 1191. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
S. Bosbach, C. Kornblum, R. Schroder, and M. Wagner Executive and visuospatial deficits in patients with chronic progressive external ophthalmoplegia and Kearns-Sayre syndrome Brain, May 1, 2003; 126(5): 1231 - 1240. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
D. D. M. Lin, T. O. Crawford, and P. B. Barker Proton MR Spectroscopy in the Diagnostic Evaluation of Suspected Mitochondrial Disease AJNR Am. J. Neuroradiol., January 1, 2003; 24(1): 33 - 41. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
Y.L. Chan, H.K. Ng, C.B. Leung, and D.K.W. Yeung 31Phosphorous and Single Voxel Proton MR Spectroscopy and Diffusion-Weighted Imaging in a Case of Star Fruit Poisoning AJNR Am. J. Neuroradiol., October 1, 2002; 23(9): 1557 - 1560. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
L. Farina, L. Chiapparini, G. Uziel, M. Bugiani, M. Zeviani, and M. Savoiardo MR Findings in Leigh Syndrome with COX Deficiency and SURF-1 Mutations AJNR Am. J. Neuroradiol., August 1, 2002; 23(7): 1095 - 1100. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
P. B. Kang, J. V. Hunter, J. J. Melvin, M. A. Selak, E. N. Faerber, and E. M. Kaye Infantile Leukoencephalopathy Owing to Mitochondrial Enzyme Dysfunction J Child Neurol, June 1, 2002; 17(6): 421 - 428. [Abstract] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
M. J. Molnar, A. Valikovics, S. Molnar, L. Tron, P. Dioszeghy, F. Mechler, and B. Gulyas Cerebral blood flow and glucose metabolism in mitochondrial disorders Neurology, August 22, 2000; 55(4): 544 - 548. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
J. Arii and Y. Tanabe Leigh Syndrome: Serial MR Imaging and Clinical Follow-up AJNR Am. J. Neuroradiol., August 1, 2000; 21(8): 1502 - 1509. [Abstract] [Full Text] |
||||
![]() |
S. G. Pavlakis, P. B. Kingsley, and M. G. Bialer Stroke in Children: Genetic and Metabolic Issues J Child Neurol, May 1, 2000; 15(5): 308 - 315. [Abstract] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
M. Topcu, I. Saatci, R. A. Apak, F. Soylemezoglu, and Z. Akcoren Leigh Syndrome in a 3-Year-Old Boy with Unusual Brain MR Imaging and Pathologic Findings AJNR Am. J. Neuroradiol., January 1, 2000; 21(1): 224 - 227. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
M. Warmuth-Metz, E. Hofmann, M. Büsse, and L. Solymosi Uncommon Morphologic Characteristics in Leigh's Disease AJNR Am. J. Neuroradiol., June 1, 1999; 20(6): 1158 - 1160. [Abstract] [Full Text] |
||||






