Dawson’s fingers refer to the periventricular white matter lesions, which extend perpendicular to the lateral ventricles and/or callosal junction. These represent perivenular inflammation, and are hallmarks of multiple sclerosis (MS), a demyelinating disorder of brain, optic nerves and spinal cord.
Dawson’s fingers, however, can be seen in conditions other than MS too. The commonest condition (other than MS), where one can notice Dawson’s fingers is small vessel ischemia.
In the case above, one can clearly notice the Dawson’s fingers. Patient was a 56-year old man, who presented with recurrent brain strokes. Risk factors included hypertension, diabetes and dyslipidemia. He was started on antiplatelets and statins.
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