Basal ganglia restricted diffusion

Changed by Frank Gaillard, 17 May 2017

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Restricted diffusion in the basal ganglia(and thalami) is seen in a variety of conditions, often associated with other signal abnormality of the basal ganglia. Care should be taken to confirm that increased signal on DWI actually represents restricted diffusion rather than merely T2 shine through.

It is important to note that each entity listed below has a variable pattern of involvement of the deep grey matter structures (basal ganglia and thalami).

Causes include ¹:

acute exposure to respiratory chain metabolic toxins
- carbon monoxide poisoning
Wilson disease (early)
hyperammonemia
- acute hepatic decompensation in cirrhosis
- ornithine transcarbamylase deficiency
hypoglycaemia
hypoxic ischaemic encephalopathy ~~(HIE)~~
osmotic demyelination
Wernicke encephalopathy
Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease
deep cerebral venous thrombosis
arterial infarction
- top of basilar syndrome
- perforator infarct(usually unilateral)
- artery of Percheron infarct
flavivirus encephalitis
- Japanese encephalitis

-Restricted diffusion in the basal ganglia (and thalami) is seen in a variety of conditions, often associated with other <a href="/articles/basal-ganglia-signal-abnormalities" title="Basal ganglia signal abnormalities">signal abnormality of the basal ganglia</a>. Care should be taken to confirm that increased signal on <a href="/articles/dwi" title="DWI">DWI</a> actually represents <a href="/articles/restricted-diffusion" title="restricted diffusion">restricted diffusion</a> rather than merely <a href="/articles/t2-shine-through" title="T2 shine through">T2 shine through</a>. It is important to note that each entity listed below has variable pattern of involvement of the deep grey matter structures (basal ganglia and thalami). Causes include 1:<ul><li>acute exposure to <a href="/articles/respiratory-chain-metabolic-toxins" title="Respiratory chain metabolic toxins">respiratory chain metabolic toxins</a><ul><li><a href="/articles/carbon-monoxide-poisoning-1" title="Carbon monoxide poisoning">carbon monoxide poisoning</a></li></ul></li><li><a href="/articles/wilson-disease-2" title="Wilson disease">Wilson disease</a> (early)</li><li><a href="/articles/hyperammonemia" title="hyperammonemia">hyperammonemia</a><ul><li><a href="/articles/acute-hepatic-decompensation" title="acute hepatic decompensation">acute hepatic decompensation</a> in <a href="/articles/cirrhosis" title="Cirrhosis">cirrhosis</a></li><li><a href="/articles/ornithine-transcarbamylase-deficiency" title="ornithine transcarbamylase deficiency">ornithine transcarbamylase deficiency</a></li></ul></li><li><a href="/articles/hypoglycaemia" title="hypoglycaemia">hypoglycaemia</a></li><li><a href="/articles/hie" title="HIE">hypoxic ischaemic encephalopathy (HIE)</a></li><li><a href="/articles/central-pontine-myelinolysis" title="Osmotic demyelination">osmotic demyelination</a></li><li><a href="/articles/wernicke-korsakoff-syndrome" title="Wernicke encephalopathy">Wernicke encephalopathy</a></li><li><a href="/articles/creutzfeldt-jakob-disease" title="Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease">Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease</a></li><li><a href="/articles/deep-cerebral-venous-thrombosis" title="deep cerebral venous thrombosis">deep cerebral venous thrombosis</a></li><li>arterial infarction<ul><li><a href="/articles/top-of-the-basilar-syndrome" title="Top of the basilar syndrome">top of basilar syndrome</a></li><li><a href="/articles/perforator-infarct" title="perforator infarct">perforator infarct</a> (usually unilateral)</li><li><a href="/articles/artery-of-percheron-infarct" title="artery of Percheron infarct">artery of Percheron infarct</a></li></ul></li><li><a href="/articles/flavavirus-encephalitis" title="flavavirus encephalitis">flavavirus encephalitis</a><ul><li><a href="/articles/japanese-encephalitis" title="Japanese encephalitis">Japanese encephalitis </a></li></ul></li></ul><h4 style="background-image: url(http://radiopaedia.org/vendor/wymeditor/iframe/radiopaedia/lbl-h4.png); background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); padding-top: 8px; padding-right: 5px; padding-bottom: 5px; padding-left: 5px; margin-top: 5px; margin-right: inherit; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: inherit; font-size: 18px; background-position: 2px 2px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; ">See also</h4><ul style="background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 5px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 5px; margin-top: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; border-left-width: 20px; border-left-style: solid; border-left-color: rgb(185, 196, 208); background-position: 2px 2px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; "><li><a href="/articles/basal-ganglia-signal-abnormalities" title="basal ganglia signal abnormalities" style="color: rgb(63, 117, 216); text-decoration: none; ">basal ganglia signal abnormalities</a><ul style="background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 5px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 5px; margin-top: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; border-left-width: 20px; border-left-style: solid; border-left-color: rgb(185, 196, 208); background-position: 2px 2px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; "><li><a href="/articles/basal_ganglia_t2_hyperintensity" title="Basal ganglia T2 hyperintensity" style="color: rgb(63, 117, 216); text-decoration: none; ">increased T2 signal in the basal ganglia</a></li><li><a href="/articles/basal_gangila_t2_hypointensity" title="Basal gangila T2 hypointensity" style="color: rgb(63, 117, 216); text-decoration: none; ">decreased T2 signal in the basal ganglia</a></li><li><a href="/articles/basal_ganglia_t1_hyperintensity" title="Basal ganglia T1 hyperintensity" style="color: rgb(63, 117, 216); text-decoration: none; ">increased T1 signal in the basal ganglia</a></li><li><a href="/articles/decreased-t1-signal-in-the-basal-ganglia" title="decreased T1 signal in the basal ganglia" style="color: rgb(63, 117, 216); text-decoration: none; ">decreased T1 signal in the basal ganglia</a></li></ul></li></ul>
+Restricted diffusion in the basal ganglia (and thalami) is seen in a variety of conditions, often associated with other <a href="/articles/basal-ganglia-and-thalamus-signal-abnormalities">signal abnormality of the basal ganglia</a>. Care should be taken to confirm that increased signal on <a href="/articles/dwi">DWI</a> actually represents <a href="/articles/restricted-diffusion">restricted diffusion</a> rather than merely <a href="/articles/t2-shine-through">T2 shine through</a>. It is important to note that each entity listed below has a variable pattern of involvement of the deep grey matter structures (basal ganglia and thalami). Causes include 1:<ul>
+<li>acute exposure to <a href="/articles/respiratory-chain-metabolic-toxins">respiratory chain metabolic toxins</a><ul><li><a href="/articles/carbon-monoxide-poisoning-1">carbon monoxide poisoning</a></li></ul>
+</li>
+<li>
+<a href="/articles/wilson-disease-2">Wilson disease</a> (early)</li>
+<li>
+<a href="/articles/hyperammonemia">hyperammonemia</a><ul>
+<li>
+<a title="Hepatic encephalopathy" href="/articles/hepatic-encephalopathy">acute hepatic decompensation</a> in <a href="/articles/cirrhosis">cirrhosis</a>
+</li>
+<li><a href="/articles/ornithine-transcarbamylase-deficiency">ornithine transcarbamylase deficiency</a></li>
+</ul>
+</li>
+<li><a title="Hypoglycaemic encephalopathy" href="/articles/hypoglycaemic-encephalopathy">hypoglycaemia</a></li>
+<li><a title="hypoxic brain damage" href="/articles/hypoxic-brain-damage">hypoxic ischaemic encephalopathy</a></li>
+<li><a href="/articles/osmotic-demyelination-syndrome">osmotic demyelination</a></li>
+<li><a href="/articles/wernicke-korsakoff-syndrome">Wernicke encephalopathy</a></li>
+<li><a href="/articles/creutzfeldt-jakob-disease">Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease</a></li>
+<li><a title="Deep cerebral vein thrombosis" href="/articles/deep-cerebral-vein-thrombosis">deep cerebral venous thrombosis</a></li>
+<li>arterial infarction<ul>
+<li><a href="/articles/top-of-the-basilar-syndrome">top of basilar syndrome</a></li>
+<li>
+<a href="/articles/perforator-infarct">perforator infarct</a> (usually unilateral)</li>
+<li><a href="/articles/artery-of-percheron-territory-infarct">artery of Percheron infarct</a></li>
+</ul>
+</li>
+<li>
+<a href="/articles/flavivirus-encephalitis">flavivirus encephalitis</a><ul><li><a href="/articles/japanese-encephalitis">Japanese encephalitis </a></li></ul>
+</li>
+</ul><h4>See also</h4><ul><li>
+<a href="/articles/basal-ganglia-and-thalamus-signal-abnormalities">basal ganglia signal abnormalities</a><ul>
+<li><a href="/articles/basal-ganglia-t2-hyperintensity">increased T2 signal in the basal ganglia</a></li>
+<li><a href="/articles/basal-ganglia-t2-hypointensity">decreased T2 signal in the basal ganglia</a></li>
+<li><a href="/articles/basal-ganglia-t1-hyperintensity">increased T1 signal in the basal ganglia</a></li>
+<li><a href="/articles/decreased-t1-signal-in-the-basal-ganglia">decreased T1 signal in the basal ganglia</a></li>
+</ul>
+</li></ul>

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Basal ganglia restricted diffusion

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