Carbon monoxide poisoning: asymmetric and unilateral changes on CT.

Carbon monoxide intoxication is a known cause of damage to the central nervous system. The distribution of pathologic changes has been described [1, 2]. The characteristic CT changes have been described as symmetric lucencies in the globus pallidus and centrum semiovale [3]. We recently encountered a case of proven carbon monoxide intoxication in which the pallidal lesion was unilateral and the white matter involvement showed marked asymmetry.