Author:

Keywords:

Adult, Aspartic Acid, Brain, Cerebral Cortex, Cerebral Hemorrhage, Choline, Encephalitis, Female, Herpes Simplex, Humans, Lactates, Lactic Acid, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy, Male, Middle Aged, Tomography, X-Ray Computed, Science & Technology, Life Sciences & Biomedicine, Clinical Neurology, Neuroimaging, Radiology, Nuclear Medicine & Medical Imaging, Neurosciences & Neurology, BRAIN, DISEASES, ENCEPHALITIS, MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING, COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY, 1103 Clinical Sciences, 1109 Neurosciences, Nuclear Medicine & Medical Imaging, 3202 Clinical sciences, 3209 Neurosciences

Abstract:

The magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings in eight patients with herpes simplex meningoencephalitis were reviewed: 14 examinations were analysed. The most striking finding was high signal intensity in the temporal lobe(s) with the typical configuration known from CT. Meningeal enhancement after Gd-DTPA administration was clearly seen in four patients. Haemorrhagic changes are much better seen on MRI than on CT. When adequate motion control can be achieved, MRI becomes the examination of choice in the diagnosis and follow-up of herpes simplex encephalitis. Localized 1H MR spectroscopy also proved promising in the study of neuronal loss.