MRI Appearances of Patients with Viral Encephalitis

Objective To investigate the magnetic resonance imaging(MRI)appearance of patients with viral encephalitis in order to facilitate its early diagnosis and judgement of prognosis.Methods 53 cases of viral encephalitis(30 male,23 female, mean age 31 years) were analyzed retrospectively,50 of which were examined with CT,46 MRI,3 postcontrast and 10 fluid attenuated inversion redocery (FLAIR).Results Of the 46 patients examined with MRI examination, multiple or single lesion located mainly in cortex, subcortex,cerebellum and so on was found in 16 cases,and the temporal lobe was mostly involved(8 cases,61.5%) because long T 1 and long T 2 signals on MRI were found there.Focuses were found more clearly with FLAIR technique. Characteristic appearance was found in herpes simplex encephalitis by MRI.Conclusion MRI was superior to CT because it could provide more important evidence for clinical diagnosis of viral encephalitis. FLAIR technique was helpful to early diagnosis of viral encephalitis because the leisions could be seen more clearly by it.