[A case of acute encephalopathy with symmetrical low density areas in the thalami on CT; serial CT and MRI findings].

ABSTRACT

A 5-year-old girl was admitted to our hospital because of fever, vomiting, diarrhea, convulsion and disturbance of consciousness. She was diagnosed as having acute encephalopathy, which is characterized by the symmetrical low density area in the thalami on CT. Serial MRI findings revealed the bleeding with edema in the thalami, and multifocal lesions with prolonged T1 and T2 relaxation time in the acute phase of the illness. Multifocal lesions were no longer found two months later. The sequential changes on the images about the bleeding in the thalami were not confirmed by simultaneous CT scans. The findings of the bleeding in the thalamic lesion are consistent with those of an autopsy report previously described and indicate the vascular involvement in the thalami in acute encephalopathy, which is characterized by the symmetrical thalamic lesions with the characteristic finding of low density on CT scans.