title: CT and MR evaluation of intracranial involvement in pediatric HIV infection: a clinical-imaging correlation.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To review the cranial CT and MR examinations of 29 children with perinatally transmitted HIV infection and correlate the imaging findings with clinical and pathologic data.
  
  
  METHODS
  28 children were examined with CT, four with MR.
  
  
  RESULTS
  CT abnormalities were seen in 25 children studied (89%), including cerebral atrophy (25 children), basal ganglia calcification (10 children), periventricular frontal white matter calcification (four children), cerebellar calcification (one child), white matter low attenuation areas (two children), intracranial hemorrhage (three children) and cerebral infarction (one child). Intracranial calcifications were only seen in association with cerebral atrophy and were never seen prior to 1 year of age. Calcifications in the periventricular white matter or cerebellum were always associated with basal ganglia calcifications. MR abnormalities were seen in all four children studied; cerebral atrophy (four children), areas of high signal intensity in white matter (four children), loss of normal posterior pituitary high signal intensity (one child). Cerebral atrophy appeared to be a nonspecific finding that was seen in some children in the absence of neurologic signs and symptoms. All children with intracranial calcifications had developmental delay. Intracranial hemorrhage was seen in children with severe thrombocytopenia. Focal intracranial infections were unusual and neoplastic lesions were not found.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Cerebral atrophy, basal ganglia calcifications, and focal white matter lesions were the most common abnormalities seen neuroradiologically in our series of HIV-infected children; cerebral atrophy was a nonspecific finding.
authors.affiliation: Department of Diagnostic Imaging and Radiology, Children's National Medical Center, Washington, DC 20010.
authors.forename: W M
authors.initials: WM
authors.lastname: Kauffman
authors.forename: C J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Sivit
authors.forename: C R
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Fitz
authors.forename: T A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Rakusan
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Herzog
authors.forename: R S
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Chandra
mesh_terms: D001284:Atrophy; D001921:Brain / Q000473:pathology; D001927:Brain Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology; D002114:Calcinosis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology; D002543:Cerebral Hemorrhage / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000635:transmission; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed