Multi-modal brain imaging showing brain damage to the orbitofrontal cortex and left hemisphere, in a case of prolonged hypoglycemia-induced transient hemiplegia followed by persistent encephalopathy

Abstract

A 21-year-old left-handed male patient was admitted with a 19-h history of coma after substantial insulin injection for suicide attempt. Although the patient recovered from coma 3 days after injury, he experienced transient hemiplegia followed by permanent brain damage. Electroencephalogram (EEG), brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and brain single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) identified the localization of this dysfunction, but consistency between clinical symptoms and brain images changed depending on the course of treatment. Transient hemiplegia corresponded to abnormal waveforms on EEG and decreased cerebral blood flow on SPECT, whereas persistent dysfunctions corresponded to abnormal brain regions on MRI and SPECT. © 2013 The Authors. Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences © 2013 Japanese Society of Psychiatry and Neurology.