Acute encephalopathy with callosal, subcortical and thalamic lesions

ABSTRACT

Acute encephalopathy is classified into multiple syndromes, such as acute encephalopathy with biphasic seizures and late reduced diffusion (AESD), clinically mild encephalitis/encephalopathy with a reversible splenial lesion (MERS) and acute necrotizing encephalopathy (ANE), characterized radiologically by lesions in the cerebral subcortical white matter, splenium of the corpus callosum and bilateral thalami, respectively. We described a previously healthy 8-year-old boy who had febrile and biphasic seizures, and encephalopathy. MRI showed abnormal signal intensity in the corpus callosum on day 2 and cerebral subcortical white matter and bilateral thalamic lesions on day 8. This is the first case of acute encephalopathy in which callosal, subcortical and thalamic lesions co-existed. The clinical course of this case was typical for AESD, atypical for MERS, and different from that of ANE.