Superficial siderosis of the central nervous system: A case report

Superficial siderosis of the central nervous system (SSCNS) is a rare syndrome resulting from hemosiderin deposits in neuronal tissues close to the cerebrospinal fluid. SSCNS is characterized by sensorineural deafness, cerebellar ataxia and signs of pyramidal tract dysfunction. The present study describes a patient with SSCNS that did not suffer from hearing loss, which is the most common symptom of SSCNS. The patient was a 48-year-old male, presenting with dizziness, ataxia and slurred speech. The patient’s ataxia was characterized by dizziness, nystagmus, dysarthria, abnormal finger-nose pointing and heel-knee-shin tests and a positive Chaddock sign. The patient had suffered from a pontine hemorrhage two years prior to the study. Audiometric tests showed normal hearing during the hospital stay and at the two-month follow-up examination. The diagnosis of SSCNS was made based on magnetic resonance images, which showed areas of linear hypointensity on the surface of the pons with mild cerebellar atrophy. However, a long-term follow-up is required to monitor the hearing of the patient. Improved understanding of SSCNS is important for clinicians to identify SSCNS patients who present without typical clinical symptoms.