The white cerebellum sign, also known as reversal sign or dense cerebellum sign, is a radiological sign denoting the relatively white appearance of the cerebellum due to a generalized decrease in density of the supratentorial brain structures caused by extensive edema.
Causes
White cerebellum sign can be associated with raised intracranial pressure that occurs due to anoxic or ischemic changes in the brain. It can be found in:
- Birth asphyxia
- Status epilepticus
- Bacterial meningitis
- Encephalitis
- Severe head trauma
- Post-cardiac arrest hypoxia
- Drowning
Pathophysiology
Diffuse brain edema is the likely cause of this radiological change observed in CT or MRI.
Prognosis
It was considered to indicate a bad prognosis. However, evidence suggests that it could be a non-specific indicator of diffuse brain edema which might not be as ominous as previously thought.
References
- Chavhan, GB; Shroff, MM (2008). "Twenty classic signs in neuroradiology: A pictorial essay". The Indian Journal of Radiology & Imaging. 19 (2): 135–45. doi:10.4103/0971-3026.50835. PMC 2765171. PMID 19881070.
- ^ Chalela, JA; Rothlisberger, J; West, B; Hays, A (June 2013). "The white cerebellum sign: an under recognized sign of increased intracranial pressure". Neurocritical Care. 18 (3): 398–9. doi:10.1007/s12028-013-9836-z. PMID 23589182. S2CID 2152985.
- Han, BK; Towbin, RB; De Courten-Myers, G; McLaurin, RL; Ball WS, Jr (1988). "Reversal sign on CT: effect of anoxic/ischemic cerebral injury in children". AJNR. American Journal of Neuroradiology. 10 (6): 1191–8. PMC 8332434. PMID 2512781.
- Krishnan, P; Chowdhury, SR (October 2014). ""White cerebellum" sign - A dark prognosticator". Journal of Neurosciences in Rural Practice. 5 (4): 433. doi:10.4103/0976-3147.140015. PMC 4173255. PMID 25288860.
External resources
Jha, Praveen. "White cerebellum sign | Radiology Reference Article | Radiopaedia.org". radiopaedia.org. Retrieved 2017-03-26.
Radiologic signs | |
---|---|
Cardiovascular | |
Respiratory | |
Urogenital | |
Musculoskeletal | |
Gastrointestinal | |
Neurological |
This medical sign article is a stub. You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it. |