Marchiafava-Bignami disease. A case studied by structural and functional brain imaging.

Marchiafava-Bignami disease (MBD) is a rare complication of chronic alcoholism. The clinical features, X-ray, CT and MRI findings are well documented. However, functional brain imaging has not been used in cases of MBD. We used single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) to monitor the regional cerebral blood flow in a patient suffering from a acute form of MBD, from which he subsequently recovered. Several abnormalities were found. A more frequent use of functional brain imaging in MBD could improve our knowledge of pathogenesis and prognosis for MBD.