Marchiafava-Bignami disease: Two cases with good prognosis

BACKGROUND: Marchiafava-Bignami disease or corpus callosum necrosis, is an uncommon complication of chronic alcoholism. Prognosis is severe. CASE REPORTS: Two young adults with chronic alcoholism who developed Marchi afava-Bignami disease initially improved clinically. DISCUSSION: Diagnosis has been facilitated with MRI. An MRI exploration sho uld be performed in chronic alcoholic patients presenting chronic encephalo pathy with dementia, dysarthria, hypertonia, and ataxia, or acute encephalo pathy with confusion, dumbness, seizures, and hypertonia. Necrosis of the c orpus callosum gives the diagnosis of Marchiafava-Bignami disease. (C) 2000 , Masson. Paris.