J Korean Med Sci.  1993 Jun;8(3):214-220. 10.3346/jkms.1993.8.3.214.

Leigh's disease involving multiple organs

• Jung KC
• Myong NH
• Chi JG
• Choi HR
• Lee HS
• Ahn YM

• KMID: 1421979
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.3346/jkms.1993.8.3.214

Abstract

Leigh's disease is a rare progressive neurological disorder that is characterized light microscopically by focal spongy necrosis in the brain and electron microscopically by mitochondriopathy. We report an autopsy case of Leigh's disease that showed abnormalities in the liver, kidney and skeletal muscle as well as the central nervous system. The patient was an 18-month-old girl who has carried a diagnosis of cerebral palsy ever since her birth to a 20-year-old mother. The baby was generally hypertonic and mentally retarded. She died of severe metabolic acidosis. Postmortem examination showed growth retardation, fatty liver, fatty kidney and soft brain. Brain section showed multifocal softenings in the brainstem, basal ganglia and periventricular areas. Microscopically increased capillaries with endothelial proliferation, vacuolar degeneration and mild gliosis were seen in the brain. The axons were relatively preserved. Liver and kidneys showed microvesicular fatty change. Myofiber degeneration of the skeletal muscle was also noted. Electron microscopic examination showed markedly increased mitochondria in the parenchymal cells of the brain, liver and kidney. The mitochondria showed round to ovoid ballooned appearance including electron-dense core-like structures and pseudoinclusions of glycogen granules.

Keyword

Leigh's disease; Brain; Liver; Kidney; Mitochondrial disease; Subacute necrotizing encephalomyelopathy

MeSH Terms

Brain/pathology/ultrastructure
Female
Humans
Infant
Kidney/pathology/ultrastructure
Leigh Disease/*pathology
Liver/pathology/ultrastructure
Mitochondrial Encephalomyopathies/pathology
Muscles/pathology