title: Neuroimaging of pediatric brain infections.
abstract: Neuroimaging plays an important and growing role in the diagnosis and therapeutic management of pediatric brain infections. This article describes the spectrum of imaging findings associated with major pediatric viral and bacterial brain infections, outlining the role of current imaging technology in the differential diagnoses of brain injury, detection of complications and therapy monitoring. MRI is the tool of choice in the evaluation of brain infections and particular attention is devoted to the role of diffusion-weighted imaging and magnetic resonance spectroscopy. This article considers viral and bacterial infection in their different modalities of presentation as congenital, acute and subacute/chronic disease. With regard to congenital infections, the growing role of fetal MRI as a valuable complement to ultrasound in the prenatal assessment of brain damage is emphasized.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatric Radiology and Neuroradiology, Children's Hospital V. Buzzi, Milan, Italy. ftriulzi@icp.mi.it
authors.forename: Fabio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Triulzi
authors.forename: Chiara
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Doneda
authors.forename: Cecilia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Parazzini
mesh_terms: D001424:Bacterial Infections / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology; D001921:Brain / Q000002:abnormalities / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology / Q000821:virology; D020805:Central Nervous System Viral Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology / Q000821:virology; D002648:Child; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D038524:Diffusion Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D005315:Fetal Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology / Q000821:virology; D005333:Fetus; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy / Q000379:methods*; D010372:Pediatrics; D011247:Pregnancy; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed