Fact-sheet: Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
Updated on 04/02/2020 at 9:03 AM
View all RADEOS cases associated with this fact-sheet
Definition
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), or Charcot disease, is an adult-onset motor neuron disease characterized by degeneration of the motor neurons of the spinal cord and brainstem as well as the corticospinal motor neurons.
CT
Cerebral atrophy:
gray matter atrophy in the precentral gyrus.
MRI
On T2: hyposignal in the precentral gyrus and hypersignal along the corticospinal tract and at the spinal cord level
On T2*: hypointensity in the precentral cortex
FLAIR: hyperintensity in the posterior limb of the internal capsule, cerebellar peduncles and the pons
Spectroscopy: decreased NAA in the motor cortex
Differential diagnosis
Primary lateral sclerosis
Wallerian degeneration