Case of the Week
Section Editors: Matylda Machnowska1 and Anvita Pauranik2
1University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
2BC Children's Hospital, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
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December 24, 2012
Acute Necrotizing Encephalopathy (ANE)
- ANE occurs in infants and children following a short duration of mild, usually viral (upper respiratory tract or GI tract) illness.
- The clinical course is fulminant with rapid onset of seizures, reduced level of conciousness, and coma.
- Key Diagnostic Features: Symmetric involvement of the thalami is seen. Necrosis and hemorrhage with surrounding edema (sometimes in a concentric manner) is seen. Other locations that can be involved include cerebral white matter, putamen, brainstem tegmentum, and dentate nuclei.
- DDx: bilateral thalamic venous infarcts; artery of Percheron infarcts; glioma; lymphoma
- Rx: supportive care; steroids; IVIG
