Magnetic resonance imaging for diagnosing a rare disease: incontinentia pigmenti (Bloch–Sulzberger syndrome) on the example of a clinical case

Abstract

Incontinentia pigmenti, also known as Bloch–Sulzberger syndrome, is a rare hereditary disease characterized by typical skin rashes and involvement of other organs and systems. Magnetic resonance imaging stands as the primary method for visualizing the structural pathology of the brain and predicting neurological manifestations in an affected child. Diagnosing incontinentia pigmenti predominantly falls within the domain of dermatologists; verification is performed by molecular genetic analysis of the IKBKG gene. This study involved magnetic resonance imaging of the brain in a patient with skin rashes, characteristic of Bloch–Sulzberger syndrome, and deletion in the IKBKG gene, where numerous foci of ischemia, hemorrhages, and lesions of the tracts were detected. Magnetic resonance imaging of the brain in patients with Bloch–Sulzberger syndrome is used to evaluate the severity of damage to the brain substance, which makes it possible to explain the cause of neurological symptoms and correct habilitation, as well as predict the development of the child.

Keywords

• incontinentia pigmenti
• bloch–sulzberger syndrome
• magnetic resonance imaging
• white matted tracts degeneration
• ikbkg gene