Intracranial calcification and psychotic symptoms after irradiation in a patient with Fanconi anemia: A case report.

BACKGROUND

Patients with Fanconi anemia (FA) are at high risk for the development of malignancies, and are often treated with radiation therapy. Radiation therapy during childhood can cause intracranial calcification after a latent period, which has been associated with psychiatric symptoms. Despite the high sensitivity of patients with FA to radiation, intracranial calcification has rarely been reported in these patients.

CASE PRESENTATION

A 17-year-old girl presented with psychiatric symptoms and cognitive impairment. She had been diagnosed with FA at 3 years old, and had received a bone marrow transplant at 5 years old with a preparative regimen that included total body irradiation. Results of IQ tests revealed a characteristic pattern of decline between the ages of 15 and 17 years. Computed tomography indicated multiple intracranial calcifications in regions associated with psychotic symptoms, including the frontal lobe and thalamus. The patient's psychiatric symptoms improved with the administration of blonanserin.

LIMITATIONS

The patient did not have regular intracranial imaging, making it difficult to confirm a direct relationship between intracranial calcification, psychiatric symptoms, and cognitive impairment. It is unclear whether the intracranial calcification in this case can be explained entirely by irradiation.

CONCLUSION

This case suggests a link between FA, intracranial calcification, and psychosis, in which intracranial calcification may have caused psychiatric symptoms. At present, evidence regarding the characteristics of psychiatric symptoms of intracranial calcification and its treatment is lacking. The current case will be helpful for elucidating the pathogenesis of this disorder and developing appropriate treatment protocols.