title: Infections.
abstract: "Children are not little adults," and while this is a well-worn aphorism, it is especially true in the context of infection, where the same organism may evoke a different immune response in the pediatric central nervous system (CNS) and clinical presentation may be clouded by the lack of a good history or paucity of clinical information. The chronology and natural history of different organisms/infections will be laid out together with the preferred use of different imaging modalities. This chapter will use illustrative examples of some of the more common infections and their complications, in addition to several more rare conditions as well as mimics of childhood CNS infection. Challenges in the imaging of children, including strategies to minimize the use of radiation, are discussed. Some of the more recently voiced concerns regarding the use of anesthetic agents in children are also addressed, along with the contrast agents that are typically required for imaging. With a global increase in worldwide travel the anticipation is that pediatricians will increasingly see unusual organisms presenting with CNS infection while dealing with the ever-present risk of drug resistance with inappropriately treated common or garden infections.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatric Radiology, Texas Children's Hospital and Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA. Electronic address: jvhunter@texaschildrens.org.
authors.forename: Jill V
authors.initials: JV
authors.lastname: Hunter
authors.affiliation: The Radiology Group, Honolulu, HI, USA.
authors.forename: Lee
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Goerner
mesh_terms: D002490:Central Nervous System / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D007239:Infections / Q000473:pathology*; D059906:Neuroimaging; D010372:Pediatrics
keywords: CNS; immune response; infection; neuroimaging; pediatric