Xiao-Qi Ding1,
Annette Bley2, Alfried Kohlschtter2, Jens Fiehler3,
Heinrich Lanfermann1
1Institute of Diagnostic and Interventional
Neuroradiology , Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany; 2Department
of Paediatrics, University Medical Centre Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg,
Germany; 3Department of Neuroradiology, University Medical Centre
Hamburg-Eppend, Hamburg, Germany
Bone
marrow transplantation (BMT) has been advocated as treatment of juvenile
metachromatic leukodystrophy (MLD). The effectiveness of this high-risk
treatment is still questionable due to the rarity of follow-up reports. We
carried out a 7 years MRI follow-up on a boy with juvenile MLD who had
received BMT treatment in the presymptomatic phase and remained free of MLD
symptoms during the observation. Conventional morphological MRI showed minor
stable white matter lesions while quantitative T2-mapping and MR spectroscopy
evidenced a stagnancy of the demyelination process and an ongoing maturation
of the brain.