Superficial Siderosis in Cerebral Amyloid Angiopathy

H Brückmann,J Linn

doi:10.3174/ajnr.a1913

Abstract

With great interest, we read the recent review article by Kumar entitled “Neuroimaging in Superficial Siderosis: An In-Depth Look,” published on-line ahead of print in the American Journal of Neuroradiology in September 2009.[1][1] The author provides a thorough review of neuroimaging in

Highlights

The published CAA cases with SS lack the typical clinical findings of “classic” SS, which are progressive gait ataxia with cerebellar dysarthria and sensorineural hearing loss, but patients often present with headache, seizures, and cognitive impairment.[2,3,4]
CAA should be thoroughly considered as a cause of SS, especially in older patients with isolated supratentorial SS and an atypical clinical presentation
Further studies on the sensitivity and specificity of SS as a noninvasive diagnostic MR imaging sign of CAA are necessary

Summary

Introduction

The published CAA cases with SS lack the typical clinical findings of “classic” SS, which are progressive gait ataxia with cerebellar dysarthria and sensorineural hearing loss, but patients often present with headache, seizures, and cognitive impairment.[2,3,4] This is most probably due to the characteristic localization of SS in patients with CAA: While the “classic” SS mainly affects brain stem and posterior fossa,[1] SS in CAA is typically found in a supratentorial distribution over the cerebral convexities.[2,3,4]

Results

Conclusion