Multiple Lipomas (Krabbe's Disease) With Hypothalamic Calcifications

To the Editor.—  In 1944, Krabbe and Bartels described a disorder called "multiple circumscribed lipomatosis" characterized by the development of symmetrical lipomas in the arms, upper part of the chest, pelvis, and buttocks.¹ This disease usually manifests itself around the age of 30 years and is not apparently hereditary or familial.² Krabbe's disease has a slow, progressive, and painless course, and may be associated with anomalies of the skin, as pigmented nevi or fibromas, and also with diverse malformations and mental disturbances.³ These associations favor including Krabbe's lipomatosis within the large group of phakomatoses.⁴ Nevertheless, general somatic, including endocrine and neurologic examination, usually shows nothing remarkable.⁵We describe a patient with Krabbe's disease in whom radiologic studies, including a computed tomographic (CT) scan, showed multiple hypothalamic calcifications.

Report of a Case.—  A 27-year-old woman was seen after intracranial calcifications had been found in plain roentgenograms