CARBON-MONOXIDE INTOXICATION - RELEVANCE OF CT AND MR-IMAGING IN THE ACUTE CLINICAL STAGE AND LONG-TERM FOLLOW-UP

Clinical, CT and MR imaging findings of 5 patients are presented who s uffered from sudden coma due to carbon monoxide intoxication. Follow-u p investigations were done for up to three years. 4 patients recovered with only minor deficits, while one patient survived with a severe ch oreatic syndrome. Cranial computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resona nce imaging (MRI) demonstrated typical lesions in the globus pallidus, the cerebral white matter and the cortex. Initial lesions of the cere bral white matter rather than of the globus pallidus seem to indicate a doubtful clinical prognosis. In the CT of the severe case progressiv e white matter atrophy was visible still after half a year. In contras t, in two cases with good outcome repeated MRI showed no progressive w hite matter changes.