title: [Value of MRI in the diagnosis of cerebral abscess caused by Candida albicans in premature infants].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To explore the value of serial magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in the diagnosis of cerebral abscess caused by Candida albicans in premature infants.
  
  
  METHODS
  The clinical data of 8 premature infants with central nervous system invasive fungal infection (IFI) were retrospectively studied. The infants underwent serial cerebral MRI scans (T1WI, T2WI and DWI).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Candida albicans was found as pathogen in all of the 8 infants. Seven infants presented with cerebral abscess and 4 infants had concurrent meningitis. Widespread involvements were found on MRI, particular in white matter area of subcortex, centrum semiovale and periventricle. The MR imaging findings in 4 infants within 11 days after IFI showed diffusive and multiple miliary nodes and hyperintense signals on DWI, but obvious changes were not found on T1WI and T2WI. The most striking hyperintense signals on T1WI and hypointense signals on T2WI appeared between 2 and 4 weeks after IFI, and some nodes of rim-like hyperintensity and marked contrast enhancement were also noted on T1WI. Smaller and smaller changes of the miliary foci were seen on T1WI and T2WI 4 weeks later. Delayed myelination and thinner corpus callous were shown in 2 patients at three months.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  MRI-DWI and serial MRIs are helpful in the early diagnosis of candida cerebral abscess and the evaluation of treatment outcome in premature infants.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Shengjing Hospital, China Medical University, Shenyang, China. maoj@sj-hospital.org
authors.forename: Jian
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Mao
authors.forename: Juan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Dan
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Jing
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Ya-Nan
authors.initials: YN
authors.lastname: DU
authors.forename: Ying-Jie
authors.initials: YJ
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Xin
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Rui
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Li-Ying
authors.initials: LY
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Xiao-Ming
authors.initials: XM
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D001922:Brain Abscess / Q000175:diagnosis*; D058365:Candidiasis, Invasive / Q000175:diagnosis*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007234:Infant, Premature; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male