Cerebral diffusional changes in the early phase of anthrax: Is cutaneous

Abstract

Objectives. Characteristics of cerebral diffusion in the acute period of the anthrax infection were investigated to understand the pathophysiology of the disease.

Methods. Six cutaneous anthrax patients (mean age: 33.3, SD: 18.1) and six healthy control subjects (mean age: 33.7, SS: 19.6) were examined at the acute phase of the infection with diffusion weighted imaging on 1.5 T scanner. ADC values were measured from five different cerebral locations. T-tests, Logistic regression and ROC curves were used.

Results. Anthrax patients were significantly different than controls regarding cortical ADC values (p < 0.05). Logistic regression model accurately classified five out of the six anthrax cases (83.3%). A cut-off value of 574 mm(2)/s x 10(-3) was found by using ROC curve coordinates. A sensitivity of 100% and a specificity of 67% were attained by means of this value.

Conclusions. This study shows the existence of cerebral parenchymal. changes at microstructural. level in cutaneous anthrax without neurological findings. These changes are possibly related to the components of the toxin. Our results support the general but unproven opinion that anthrax treatment does not change the existence and the effects of the toxin. Pathophysiological. mechanisms towards classification should therefore be reviewed. (c) 2005 The British Infection Society. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

C1 Inonu Univ, Fac Med, Turgut Ozal Med Ctr, Dept Radiol, TR-44280 Malatya, Turkey.

Inonu Univ, Fac Med, Turgut Ozal Med Ctr, Dept Infect Dis, TR-44280 Malatya, Turkey.

Inonu Univ, Fac Med, Turgut Ozal Med Ctr, Dept Nucl Med, TR-44280 Malatya, Turkey.