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Review
. 2018 Jun 26:9:67-71.
doi: 10.2147/PHMT.S126293. eCollection 2018.

Subacute sclerosing panencephalitis - current perspectives

Sidra K Jafri  1 , Raman Kumar  1 , Shahnaz H Ibrahim  1
Affiliations
Review

Subacute sclerosing panencephalitis - current perspectives

Sidra K Jafri et al. Pediatric Health Med Ther. .

Abstract

Subacute sclerosing panencephalitis is a progressive neurodegenerative disease. It usually occurs 7-10 years after measles infection. The clinical course is characterized by progressive cognitive decline and behavior changes followed by focal or generalized seizures as well as myoclonus, ataxia, visual disturbance, and later vegetative state, eventually leading to death. It is diagnosed on the basis of Dyken's criteria. There is no known cure for subacute sclerosing panencephalitis to date, but it is preventable by ensuring that an effective vaccine program for measles is made compulsory for all children younger than 5 years in endemic countries.

Keywords: SSPE; preventable; progressive; vaccine.

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Conflict of interest statement

Disclosure The authors report no conflicts of interest in this work.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
EEG of a patient with SSPE. Note: Longitudinal bipolar montage showing periodic slow waves also known as the “Radermecker” complexes. Abbreviations: EEG, electroencephalogram; SSPE, subacute sclerosing panencephalitis.
Figure 2
Figure 2
(A–C) The MRI of a 6-year-old girl with SSPE. Notes: Abnormal signal intensity areas are identified in the periventricular and deep white matter region bilaterally. Abnormal signal are also noted in putamen bilaterally. These areas appear hyperintense on T2-weighted images, hypointense to isointense on T1-weighted images, and there is no evidence of diffusion restriction and no postcontrast enhancement. Abbreviations: MRI, magnetic resonance imaging; SSPE, subacute sclerosing panencephalitis.
Figure 3
Figure 3
(A and B) The MRS of the 6-year-old girl with SSPE. Notes: MR spectroscopy shows low NAA levels as well as NAA/Cr and NAA/choline. Patient is the same as seen in Figure 2. Abbreviations: MR, magnetic resonance; MRS, magnetic resonance spectroscopy; NAA, nacetyl aspartate; Cr, creatinine.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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