RETARDATION OF MYELINATION DUE TO DIETARY VITAMIN-B-12 DEFICIENCY - CRANIAL MRI FINDINGS

Vitamin B-12 deficiency is known to be associated with signs of demyel ination, usually in the spinal cord. Lack of vitamin B-12, in the mate rnal diet during pregnancy has been shown to cause severe retardation of myelination in the nervous system. We report the case of a 14 1/2-m onth-old child of strictly vegetarian parents who presented with sever e psychomotor retardation. This severely hypotonic child had anemia du e to insufficient maternal intake of vitamin B-12 with associated mega loblastic anemia. MRI of the brain revealed severe brain atrophy with signs of retarded myelination, the frontal and temporal lobes being mo st severely affected. It was concluded that this myelination retardati on was due to insufficient intake of vitamin B-12 and vitamin B-12 the rapy was instituted. The patient responded well with improvement of cl inical and imaging abnormalities, We stress the importance of MRI in t he diagnosis and follow-up of patients with suspected diseases of myel ination.