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. 2021 Aug;11(8):e2306.
doi: 10.1002/brb3.2306. Epub 2021 Aug 1.

A cohort study of mild encephalitis/encephalopathy with a reversible splenial lesion in children

Jiao Xue  1 , Ying Zhang  1 , Jie Kang  2 , Chongfeng Duan  3 , Zhi Yi  1 , Chengqing Yang  1 , Fei Li  1 , Kaixuan Liu  1 , Zhenfeng Song  1
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A cohort study of mild encephalitis/encephalopathy with a reversible splenial lesion in children

Jiao Xue et al. Brain Behav. 2021 Aug.

Abstract

To investigate the clinical features, imaging features, and prognosis of mild encephalitis/encephalopathy with a reversible splenial lesion (MERS) in children METHODS: The clinical and imaging data of a cohort of 28 children diagnosed as MERS from January 2019 to October 2020 were retrospectively analyzed RESULTS: Of the 28 patients, 17 were males and 11 were females. The onset age ranged from 8 months to 12 years old, with an average age of 4 years and 2 months. All children developed normally before onset, and three of them had a history of febrile convulsion. More than half of the patients (62.9%) had preceding infections of gastrointestinal tract. All the cases developed seizures, and most (71.4%) had more than one time. Other neurological symptoms included dizziness/headache, consciousness disorder, limb weakness, blurred vision, and dysarthria. Cranial magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed lesions in the splenium of the corpus callosum in all, extending to other areas of the corpus callosum, bilateral semi-ovoid center, and adjacent periventricular in two cases. The clinical symptoms were relieved after steroids, intravenous immunogloblin, and symptomatic treatment, without abnormal neurodevelopment during the followed-up (2 months-2 years). Complete resolution of the lesions was observed 8-60 days after the initial MRI examinations CONCLUSION: MERS in children is related to prodromal infection mostly, with a wide spectrum of neurologic symptoms, characteristic MRI manifestations, and good prognosis.

Keywords: child; magnetic resonance imaging; mild encephalitis/encephalopathy with a reversible splenial lesion (MRES).

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Cranial MRI revealed an isolated elliptic lesion in the splenium of the corpus callosum. The lesions were isointense to slightly hypointense on T1‐weighted images (a), homogeneously hyperintense on T2‐weighted images (b) and DWI (d), slightly hyperintense on T2‐FLARE (c)
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 2
Cranial MRI revealed lesion extending to other areas of the corpus callosum (a), adjacent peri ventricular (b), and bilateral semi‐ovoid center (c)
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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