Unexpectedly abnormal MR brain scan in liver disease

Pract Neurol. 2025 Jun 18:pn-2025-004666. doi: 10.1136/pn-2025-004666. Online ahead of print.

Abstract

An elderly woman presented with coma secondary to acute-on-chronic liver failure and was found to have severe hyperammonaemia. MR scan of brain showed extensive bilateral and symmetric cortical and thalamic fluid-attenuated inversion recovery hyperintense signals and diffusion restriction. How should clinicians address the prognosis of such cases? Postmortem findings from this case provide new insights in pathophysiology.

Keywords: COMA.