Glutaric aciduria type I is a rare disorder of organic acid metabolism caused by
deficiency of glutaryl-CoA dehydrogenase, a mitochondrial enzyme. Improper
degeneration of amino acids: tryptophan, lysine, and hydroxylysine, results in
increased levels of glutaric acid, which typically becomes clinically manifest as
an acute dystonic crisis in young children. Accumulation of glutaric acid causes
neurotoxicity in the basal ganglia and fronto-temporal cortex which can lead to
progressive dystonia, hypotonia, permanently impaired speech and seizures.
Because dietary and drug therapy may alter the natural history of the disease,
early diagnosis of such patients is critical. We report the magnetic resonance
(MR) imaging findings in a 16 year-old girl with this disorder who presented with
a chronic dystonic syndrome and previously diagnosed of brain paralysis. MR
imaging demonstrated bilateral involvement of the putamina and periventricular
white matter, and bilateral temporal atrophy and widened Silvian fissure