A case of multiple sclerosis with abnormal single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT)]

A case of a 38-year-old woman with multiple sclerosis (MS) is reported. At 36 years of the age, she was admitted to our hospital because of developing unstable gait and clumsiness in her hands. After intravenous and oral administration of steroid, her neurological symptoms improved gradually. At 38 years of the age, she was readmitted because of recurrence. A neurological examination revealed severe left sided limb ataxia and trunkal ataxia. No abnormal finding was demonstrated in cranial MRI at the first and second admission. Single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) using 123I-IMP that was performed at the second admission showed an increased accumulation of 123I-IMP in the left cerebellar hemisphere on the 14th day from the neurological onset. After the therapy of steroid, her neurological signs improved and SPECT showed no abnormality on the 62nd day. Seven months after the second episode, she was readmitted because of the same neurological symptoms and T2 weighted MRI revealed multiple high intensity area in the pons and midbrain. She was diagnosed as having definite MS. These findings in SPECT may suggest the inflammatory process of the cerebellum in the case of MS as well as acute cerebellar ataxia.