Microhemorrhage identified on 3.0 T MR susceptibility-weighted imaging for prognosis of viral encephalitis

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the relationship of microhemorrhage on susceptibility-weighted imaging (SWI) with the severity of clinical symptoms and the prognosis of viral encephalitis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirty patients with clinically diagnosed viral encephalitis were divided into three groups according to the Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) and the condition of recovery namely, Group I (n = 12): Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS)≥13 and recovered with no sequelae; Group II (n = 11): GCS 9-12 and recovered with some sequelae; Group III (n = 7): GCS 3-8 and recovered with more severe sequelae. The microhemorrhage detectability on SWI and conventional MR imaging in these three groups was compared and their correlations with different seriousness of clinical symptoms and prognosis were analyzed. RESULTS: There was a significant difference in microhemorrhage volume among different MR sequences (p < 0.05). SWI was more sensitive to detect microhemorrhage than conventional MR imaging techniques. Microhemorrhages on SWI were significantly different among the three groups (p < 0.01). The volume of microhemorrhage on SWI was well correlated with the degree of clinical symptoms and the prognosis of viral encephalitis. CONCLUSION: SWI can be used to detect microhemorrhage in patients with viral encephalitis. Assessment of microhemorrhage with SWI can provide useful information for the prognosis evaluation of viral encephalitis.