title: MRI findings in children with tuberculous meningitis: a comparison of HIV-infected and non-infected patients.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Radiological studies on HIV infection in tuberculous meningitis (TBM) in children are limited to small, retrospective studies using CT features. They report that HIV-infected children are less likely to display meningovascular enhancement, tuberculoma formation and obstructive hydrocephalus. No similar MRI-based studies were found in the literature.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this study is to compare the MRI features of TBM in HIV-infected and uninfected children.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective descriptive study comparing clinical, laboratory and MRI features of 8 HIV-infected and 19 HIV-uninfected children with TBM.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Intense basal meningeal enhancement occurred less frequently (p = 0.31) in HIV-infected children whilst cerebral atrophy was more commonly encountered (p = 0.06) Neither finding was however of statistical significance. All HIV-infected children had visible meningeal nodules on MR imaging compared to 72% in HIV-uninfected children with TBM. No differences were noted regarding number or location of infarcts and presence of hydrocephalus. Hydrocephalus in HIV-infected children was exclusively of communicating nature.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The MRI criteria for diagnosis of TBM apply to HIV-infected children. The presence of nodular meningeal disease in all HIV-infected children has not previously been reported and requires further investigation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa.
authors.forename: Gerrit
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Dekker
authors.forename: Savvas
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Andronikou
authors.forename: Ronald
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: van Toorn
authors.forename: Shaun
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Scheepers
authors.forename: Andrew
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Brandt
authors.forename: Christelle
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ackermann
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000150:complications* / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014390:Tuberculosis, Meningeal / Q000150:complications* / Q000473:pathology*