Two Cases of Subacute Combined Degeneration: Magnetic Resonance Findings

Abstract

We report two cases of subacute combined degeneration. Both patients had undergone total gastrectomy. The chief complaints were numbness in both upper extremities in case 1 and numbness in both the upper and lower extremities and gait disturbance in case 2. The pain, temperature, and vibration senses of both patients were decreased. Laboratory examinations showed macrocytic anemia and a decreased serum vitamin B12 level in both cases. In both cases T2-weighted magnetic resonance images showed an area of hyperintensity in the dorsal columns of the cervical spinal cord. The patients were treated with vitamin B12. The abnormal signals had disappeared on follow-up magnetic resonance examination 1 year later in case 1 and 3 months later in case 2. These patients showed neurological improvement, but the numbness in the upper extremities persisted even after the area of abnormal signal intensity had disappeared in case 1.