Cerebroretinal microangiopathy with calcifications and cysts: A case report

Cerebroretinal microangiopathy with calcifications and cysts (CRMCC) is believed to be an autosomal recessive genetic disease, with disorders in multisystem organs. Its characteristic neurological disorders manifested on neuroimaging are a triad of leukoencephalopathy, intracranial calcifications, and parenchymal cysts. In this paper, we report a CRMCC patient with multisystem involvement, focusing on the neuroimaging features, to get a better understanding of the rare disease and improve our diagnostic ability.

The 23-year-old female patient firstly presented with an adolescence onset of ophthalmological manifestations. Four years later, hematological and neurological disorders occurred, the latter of which demonstrated a relatively slow progression in the following 7 years preceding her presentation to our hospital.

During hospitalization, disorders involving digestive, cardiovascular and respiratory systems were also detected. In addition, a more comprehensive depiction of neurological disorders on neuroimaging was also obtained.

On the basis of multiple system disorders and the detection of mutations in conserved telomere maintenance component 1(CTC1) gene, a diagnosis of CRMCC was made.

After supportive therapy during her 4-week hospitalization, the patient's general condition improved and was released from the hospital.

CRMCC could be primarily diagnosed with the aid of its multiple system disorders and remarkable neuroimaging features. Cerebral micro hemorrhages determined by the combination of CT and T2-weighted magnetic resonance images in our case could provide some additional information for diagnosis. Furthermore, several other associated disorders were depicted for the first time in our case, expanding the clinical spectrum of CRMCC.