Demonstration of acute post-viral myelitis with magnetic resonance imaging.
Post-infectious transverse myelitis is an important clinical entity in childhood, but the diagnosis is difficult to confirm by conventional radiologic investigations. We report a patient with acute, cervical, post-infectious transverse myelitis whose diagnosis had been established by the distribution and evolution of lesions on serial magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Autopsy results confirmed the diagnosis of post-infectious transverse myelitis and the presence of MRI-identified lesions. To our knowledge, this patient is the first child reported with MRI findings in post-infectious transverse myelitis and suggests that MRI may be valuable in the diagnosis and management of children with this syndrome.
Awerbuch
G
G
Department of Neurology, Arizona Health Sciences Center, Tucson 85724.
Feinberg
W M
WM
Ferry
P
P
Komar
N N
NN
Clements
J
J
D000208:Acute Disease; D001284:Atrophy; D003586:Cytomegalovirus Infections / Q000175:diagnosis*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D009187:Myelitis / Q000175:diagnosis*; D009188:Myelitis, Transverse / Q000175:diagnosis*; D013116:Spinal Cord / Q000473:pathology