Central neurologic involvement in Crohn's disease

Introduction. - Neurological involvement in Crohn's disease is unusual. Exegesis. - We report two cases of Crohn's disease. Central nervous system deficit was observed in the first patient, while psychiatric disorders were present in the second patient. In both cases, MRI confirmed the presence o f a T2 hypersignal in the white matter. Conclusion. - Central neurological disorders could either be part of extra- intestinal symptoms in Crohn's disease or precede diagnosis. However; their frequency is not well known or documented. The association of Crohn's dise ase with multiple sclerosis may obscure the diagnosis. Cerebrovascular acci dent, seizures headaches focal neurological deficits, or sometimes severe p sychiatric disorders are encountered. Numerous pathophysiological hypothese s have been advocated. The high frequency abnormalities Bat have been obser ved during systematic MRI provide confirmation of the hypothesis of neurolo gical disorders occurring during Crohn's disease. (C) 1999 Elsevier, Paris.