Neuroimaging findings in a case of fluoxetine overdose

Miklós Szólics, Muhammad Chaudhry, Milos Ljubisavljevic, Peter Corr, Hashim A. Samir, Klaus Neidl van Gorkom

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

5 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Brain MRI and 18F-FDG PET/CT scans were performed in a patient who had survived a suicide attempt by fluoxetine overdose. The patient presented with the following clinical signs and symptoms, and neuroimaging findings: severe signs of serotonin toxicity, including comatose state, akinetic rigid syndrome and dysautonomia; bilateral globus pallidus changes consistent with extensive pallidal necrosis and subsequent reversible diffuse ischemic changes in white matter, with posterior predominance, involving the splenium of the corpus callosum on brain MRI; and marked hypometabolism in the frontal, parietal and temporal cortical regions as well as in both caudate nuclei on 18F-FDG PET/CT performed 37days later. These findings suggest that acute severe serotonin toxicity can induce structural and long-standing functional changes in multiple cortical and subcortical brain regions that are associated with cognitive and extrapyramidal syndromes.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)254-257
Number of pages4
JournalJournal of Neuroradiology
Volume39
Issue number4
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Oct 2012

Keywords

  • F-FDG PET/CT
  • Fluoxetine overdose
  • MRI
  • Pallidal necrosis
  • Serotonin toxicity

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Radiological and Ultrasound Technology
  • Radiology Nuclear Medicine and imaging
  • Clinical Neurology

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