Usefulness of neuro-imaging for the diagnosis of HIV encephalopathy in children.

Abstract

It is important to recognise the central nervous system (CNS) imaging appearances of HIV, in particular those of HIV encephalopathy, as this is an AIDS-defining illness. HIV encephalopathy is a common manifestation of HIV, with distinct neuro-imaging features. With the use of images we aim to draw the clinician’s attention to the neuro-imaging modalities best suited to demonstrating these features. Neurological dysfunction in AIDS is common, occurring in as many as 80% of children. 1 The spectrum of diseases includes HIV encephalopathy, cerebrovascular disease, PML (progressive multifocal leuko-encephalopathy), infections and malignancies. Opportunistic CNS infections are extremely rare in paediatric AIDS patients compared with adults, 2-4 even in the presence of