Paraplegia and sensory deficit caused by angiotropic large cell lymphoma

We report a case of angiotropic large cell lymphoma (ALCL) with central system involvement in which there was initially an isolated spinal cord stroke with paraplegia. MR imaging of the spinal cord demonstrated increased signal intensity in the center of the cord on T2-weighted images and subsequently a cerebral lesion in the right temporal lobe. The diagnosis of ALCL was established by brain biopsy. An enlarged spinal cord with enhancement after administration of contrast material and increased signal intensity on T2-weighted images, while not specific for ALCL, may be the first imaging findings of that disease.