Encephalitis is an inflammation that occurs in the brain when a virus in some cases, bacteria attack it directly, and can also be triggered by other factors. It is an inflammatory process of the meninges, the membranes that cover the central nervous system. Enolase isoenzyme found in neuronal and neuroendocrine tissues. Its levels in tissues other than erythrocytes are negligible. Its measurement is useful for monitoring tumors of neuroendocrine origin, such as neuroblastoma, pheochromocytoma, medullary thyroid carcinoma, small cell lung carcinoma, melanoma, and some pancreatic tumors. NSE concentrations in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) are often elevated in diseases that result in relatively rapid neuronal destruction. This review aims to evaluate the efficiency of neural enolase (NSA) in diagnosing viral encephalitis. The methodology used an integrative literature review and a synthesis process to develop the study, expand the understanding of knowledge, and achieve the expected results. The integrative literature review is a method that aims to synthesize results obtained in research on a topic or issue, in a systematic, ordered, and comprehensive way. It is called integrative because it provides broader information on a subject/problem, thus constituting a body of knowledge. To carry out the study, a search for scientific articles was carried out through the Virtual Health Library, in the SCIELO, LILACS, and PUBMED databases, using the terminologies registered in the Health Sciences descriptors, encephalitis, enolase, virus, and diagnosis.