Abstract
Acute necrotizing encephalopathy is a devastating clinico-radiological syndrome characterized by fulminant neurological deterioration after an antecedent febrile illness, as well as the imaging hallmark of bilateral thalamic involvement. Herein, we describe a 4-year-old boy with typical clinical and neuroimaging features of acute necrotizing encephalopathy. The bithalamic swelling led to a block of cerebrospinal fluid circulation at the foramen of Monro, thereby causing the mild dilatation of lateral ventricles. The periventricular areas could, therefore, have been potentially affected by the acute necrotizing encephalopathy per se and/or transependymal edema secondary to obstructive hydrocephalus. The information from diffusion imaging allows for differentiation between these two pathophysiological processes.
Highlights
Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations
Magnetic resonance imaging of the brain on the day revealed the mild dilatation of lateral ventricles (Figure 1a,b), as well as signal changes on T2-weighted sequences (Figure 1a–d) and restricted water diffusion (Figure 1e,f) in the bilateral thalami, bilateral periventricular regions, brainstem, and cerebellum. He was diagnosed with acute necrotizing encephalopathy (ANE) with obstructive hydrocephalus due to thalamic swelling
ANE is a distinct clinico-radiological syndrome characterized by fulminant neurological deterioration following a febrile illness, as well as bilateral thalamic involvement on neuroimaging
Summary
Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. Acute Necrotizing Encephalopathy in a Four-Year-Old Boy. Diagnostics 2021, 11, 568. A previously healthy 4-year-old boy presented with fever for one day, accompanied by vomiting and diarrhea.
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
