Neuroradiological findings of paretic neurosyphilis, a case report

Neuroradiological findings of a patient with paretic neurosyphilis are described. A 50-year-old male patient showed personality changes, severe dementia and some neurological deficits. Serological analysis of serum and cerebrospinal fluid demonstrated the presence of antibodies to Treponema pallidum. Computed tomography showed diffuse cerebral cortical atrophy and ventricular dilatation, and magnetic resonance (MR) imaging revealed some small abnormal signals in the white matter. Single photon emission tomography using [123I] N-isopropyl-p-iodoamphetamine (IMP-SPECT) indicated decreased activities, most markedly in the right frontal and bitemporal cortices. Although the neuroradiological findings were nonspecific, the MR imaging and IMP-SPECT findings were interesting because they have not been described previously to our knowledge.