Diffusion-weighted MRI in patients with Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease

Today the diagnosis of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (UD) is proven only postmo rtem or by evidence of neuropathology. During the patient's lifetime EEG re cordings or cerebrospinal fluid analysis may support the diagnosis. In most cases, T2-MRI scans show hyperintensities of the basal ganglia. A new imag ing technique called diffusion-weighted MRI (DWI) has recently been establi shed. The sensitivity of DWI was evaluated in five patients suspected of CJ D. All five cases showed hyperintense signal changes in the basal ganglia o n DWI sequences. These findings were more pronounced in DWI than in T2, FLA IR, or PD-weighted images. Thus, DWI seems to be the most sensitive sequenc e for detecting changes in patients with suspected UD. Moreover, its short scanning time ensures that fewer artifacts occur, especially in the case of myoclonus.