Reversible MRI Findings in Metronidazole-induced Cerebellar Dysfunction

J Korean Neurol Assoc > Volume 17(6); 1999 > Article

Journal of the Korean Neurological Association 1999;17(6): 904-907.

Metronidazole에 의한 소뇌기능 장애에서 보인 가역적 자기공명영상 소견

김동선, 정정욱 김재영 김종환 김응규 김성은

인제대학교 의과대학 신경과학교실

Reversible MRI Findings in Metronidazole-induced Cerebellar Dysfunction

Dong-Seon Kim M.D., Jung-Wook Jung M.D., Jae-Young Kim M.D., Jong-Hwan Kim M.D., Eung-Gyu Kim M.D., Sung-Eun Kim M.D.

Department of Neurology, Inje University, Pusan Paik Hospital

Abstract

Metronidazole is widely used for the treatment of trichomoniasis, giardiasis, amebiasis, and anaerobic infections. It pro-duces a number of neurological side effects including peripheral neuropathy, encephalopathy, cerebellar dysfunction, and seizures. A 66-year-old male patient was admitted to our department because of a tingling sensation in both toes as well as ataxia with dizziness which had developed five prior to admission. He had had been diagnosed with hepatoma and had an operation in 1993. One month before admission, he felt a febrile sensation and was diagnosed as having abdominal abscess by an ultrasonography, and took about 30g of metronidazole until visiting our emergency room. A nerve conduc-tion test revealed sensorimotor polyneuropathy in the four extremities. A brain MRI showed symmetrically increased signal intensities without enhancement in the supratentorial white matter and the dentate nucleus of the cerebellum. After stopping metronidazole, his neurological symptoms began to improve and on the following MRI taken seven weeks later, the symmetrically increased signal intensities in the dentate nucleus of the cerebellum were nearly disappeared. J Korean Neurol Assoc 17(6):904~907, 1999 Key Words : Metronidazole, Cerebellar dysfunction, Reversible MRI findings