A neurological evaluation of purported cases of SMON in Sweden

Forty Swedish victims of halogenated hydroxyquinoline neurotoxicity were claimed by Dr Hansson in 1981. He had seen only a few of these patients himself. Furthermore, in half the number of patients a neurological examination had been performed only long ago or not at all. A survey of these cases has never been presented. Therefore, extensive and, where possible, complete medical data were obtained for these 40 and one additional patient. A neurological differential diagnostic evaluation was made in each case. It was found that only one had a full-blown SMON syndrome. In all, only half of the patients in this series showed any evidence of a neurotoxic lesion due to clioquinol. The case stories were also presented in detail to the Baumgartner group, with similar diagnostic results. Detailed clinical data and differential diagnoses are presented in the communication.