Do patients with cerebral malaria have cerebral oedema? A computed tomography study.
Computed tomography of the brain in 10 patients with severe cerebral malaria, 5 of whom died, showed evidence of cerebral oedema in only 2 fatal cases. Small areas of altered density were seen in 4 cases; these were not associated with focal neurological signs and were still visible in convalescent scans in 2 survivors. 4 patients, including 1 of the fatalities, had completely normal scans. Cerebral oedema may occur in severe cerebral malaria but is not a consistent feature of living patients and cannot, therefore, always be the cause of their coma.
D000208:Acute Disease; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001921:Brain / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000469:parasitology; D001927:Brain Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000401:mortality / Q000503:physiopathology; D001929:Brain Edema / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000503:physiopathology; D003128:Coma / Q000401:mortality; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008288:Malaria / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000401:mortality / Q000503:physiopathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed