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MR findings in seven patients with organic mercury poisoning (Minamata disease)
Y Korogi1, M Takahashi, J Shinzato
1Department of Radiology, Kumamoto University School of Medicine, Japan.
Purpose:
To study the long-term MR findings in seven patients with Minamata disease.
Methods:
All patients examined were affected after eating daily considerable amounts of the methylmercury-contaminated seafoods from 1955 through 1958 and showed typical neurologic findings. T1- and T2-weighted images were obtained in axial, coronal, and sagittal sections.
Results:
The visual cortex, the cerebellar vermis and hemispheres, and the postcentral cortex were significantly atrophic. The visual cortex was slightly hypointense on T1-weighted images and hyperintense on T2-weighted images, probably representing the pathologic changes of status spongiosus.
Conclusion:
MR demonstrated the lesions, located in the calcarine area, cerebellum, and postcentral gyri, which are probably related to three of the characteristic manifestations of this disease: the constriction of the visual fields, ataxia, and sensory disturbance, respectively.