Acute encephalopathy with bilateral thalamotegmental involvement in infants and children: imaging and pathology findings.

PURPOSE To investigate the imaging and pathologic characteristics of acute encephalopathy with bilateral thalamotegmental involvement in infants and children.

METHODS Five Japanese children ranging in age from 11 to 29 months were studied. We performed CT imaging in all patients, 10 MR examinations in four patients, and an autopsy in one patient.

RESULTS The encephalopathy affected the thalami, brain stem tegmenta, and cerebral and cerebellar white matter. The brain of the autopsied case showed fresh necrosis and brain edema without inflammatory cell infiltration. Petechiae and congestion were demonstrated mainly in the thalamus. CT and MR images showed symmetric focal lesions in the same areas in the early phase. These lesions became more demarcated and smaller in the intermediate phase. The ventricles and cortical sulci enlarged. MR images demonstrated T1 shortening in the thalami. The prognosis was generally poor; one patient died, three patients were left with severe sequelae, and only one patient improved.

CONCLUSIONS The encephalopathy might be a postviral or postinfectious brain disorder. T1 shortening in the thalami indicated the presence of petechiae.