Cranial MR imaging in patients with von Recklinghausen's disease (neurofibromatosis type I).

MR imaging was performed for 24 patients with von Recklinghausen's disease. Twenty of the 24 patients showed abnormal findings in MR imaging. In many cases, the lesions were multifocal. In 14 patients small focal areas of increased signal on T2-weighted images were thought to represent heterotopias or hamartomas. Eight patients had optic tract gliomas. Three patients had parenchymal gliomas. In one patient, white matter showed high intensity on T2-weighted images representing delayed myelination. The rate of abnormal findings was higher for MR imaging than CT. MR imaging was found to be an excellent imaging method for known diseases and for detecting lesions in asymptomatic patients.