Acute mountain sickness occurring with corpus callosum, globus pallidus and cerebellar peduncle involvement: MRI findings

Acute mountain sickness (AMS) is a pathological reaction, occurring as a result of failure to adapt to altitude. The main symptoms reported are headache, nausea, vomiting and fatigue. However, high altitude cerebral and pulmonary edema, occurring in AMS, cause potentially fatal consequences. In our 31-year-old case, who is the group leader and activity organizer among nine mountaineers, who climbed Mt. Ağrı for winter climbing, nausea, vomiting, unconsciousness, lack of appetite and severe headache have occurred in connection with high altitude at 4200 m. Brain MRI of the patient revealed wide-spread hyperintense lesions at subcortical white matter, corpus callosum, globus pallidi, and bilateral cerebellar peduncles on T2 and FLAIR series. The patient was referred to anesthesia–intensive care unit of our hospital. Since the appearances are demonstrative, MRI findings are presented.