The average age was 43 years (range 18 to 83).
Thirty-seven (92,5%) were women and 3 (7,5%) men.
We found cerebral anomalies in 14 patients (35%).
In this group the mean age was 43,7 years (range 27 to 66).
Of the 14 patients who had MRI findings,
9 (64,3%) presented with only supratentorial involvement,
4 (28,6%) had both supra and infratentorial lesions and 1 only infratentorial.
Of the 5 patients with infratentorial involvement,
the location of the lesions was: cerebellum in 3 patients,
brainstem in 3 and spinal cord in 2.
The supratentorial lesions were located in the deep white matter in 11 (78,5%),
the periventricular area in 7 (50%),
the corpus callosum in 2 (14,2%) and in cortico-subcortical areas in 2 (14,2%) patients (Fig. 2).
Related to Fazekas scale,
12 (85,7%) were graded as 1 and 2 (14,3%) graded as 2.
There were no grade 3 patients.
Twelve patients (85,7%) presented multiple lesions and 2 (14,3%) had single lesion.
In 10 patients (71,4%) the lesion size was less than 1 cm and in 4 (28,6%) between 1 and 5 cm.
Two (14,3%) patients had extensive lesions (more than 5 cm),
both of them in posterior fossa (Fig. 3).
Examples of neurolupus cases:
Case 1 - 39 year-old woman,
diagnosed with neurolupus,
with small periventricular white matter lesions and previous right parietal infarct (Fig. 4).
Case 2 - 66 year-old woman with neurolupus
- right subcortical parietal and deep temporal (hippocampus) white matter lesions,
without contrast-enhancement,
without diffusion restriction,
of inflammatory aspect (vasculitis/encephalitis)
- periventricular lesions and of the splenium of the corpus callosum
- vasogenic edema of the basal ganglia with infarct with diffusion restriction of the right lenticular
- involvement of the right part of the pons (Fig. 5).
Case 3 - 51 year-old woman,
diagnosed with neurolupus,
with periventricular lesions simulating the typical aspect of multiple sclerosis (Fig. 6).
Case 4 - 27 year-old woman with neurolupus and extensive myelitis (cervical,
thoracic and bulbar level),
without supratentorial involvement (Fig. 7).