Pomalidomide-associated progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy in multiple myeloma: cortical susceptibility-weighted imaging hypointense findings prior to clinical deterioration

Although there are several case reports of progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML) in multiple myeloma (MM), there are few reports of cases associated with pomalidomide. Here, we report the case of a 69-year-old female who had received 41 cycles of pomalidomide and dexamethasone treatment for relapsed/refractory IgG-κ MM presented with right-hand weakness; she was diagnosed as pomalidomide-associated PML. Fluid-attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR) on admission showed high signals in the bilateral front-parietal lobe white matter, with multiple punctate lesions in the vicinity of the main lesions. These punctate pattern findings on FLAIR were similar to that of natalizumab-associated PML. Susceptibility weighted imaging (SWI) showed hypointense rims within the cortex at unaffected sites, in the initial stages. Subsequently, the clinical manifestations deteriorated, and the FLAIR images showed new hyperintense white matter lesions at the sites where cortical SWI hypointense rims were detected on the initial MRI examination. Our patient’s serial MRI findings suggest that cortical SWI hypointense rims appear prior to the visible demyelinating white matter lesions in patients with PML.