Table 2.
Results of head imaging performed on 158 of 802 children with aseptic meningitis
| CT scan result (n = 155*) | MRI result (n = 13*) | Proven enteroviral meningitis (n = 233) |
Clinical aseptic meningitis (n = 495) |
Possible aseptic meningitis (n = 74) |
| Normal | Not done | 28 | 70 | 13 |
| Normal | 1 | 3 | 0 | |
| Abnormal findings (extracranial) | 0 | 113 | 0 | |
| Not done | Abnormal findings (intracranial) | 11 | 12 | 13 |
| Abnormal findings (intracranial) | Not done | 0 | 135 | 36 |
| Abnormal findings (intracranial) | 0 | 18 | 17 | |
| Abnormal (previously known findings) | Not done | 29 | 710** | 111** |
| Abnormal findings (extracranial) | Not done | 0 | 412 | 0 |
| No report | Not done | 1 | 3 | 0 |
| Number tested/number in diagnostic group (%) | 33/233 (14.2%) | 103/495 (20.8%) | 19/74 (25.7%) | |
| Number abnormal/number in diagnostic group (%) | 4/233 (1.7%) | 30/495 (6.1%) | 5/74 (6.8%) | |
| Number abnormal/number tested (%) | 4/33 (12.1%) | 30/103 (29.1%) | 5/19 (26.3%) |
Legend:
CT – computerized tomography
MRI – magnetic resonance imaging
*Ten children had both MRI and CT examinations.
** Includes one child < 30 days of age
1 extra-ventricular obstructive hydrocephalus
2 narrowing of straight sinus
3 inflammatory changes involving thalamus, midbrain and pons
4 one patient had multifocal patchy regions of increased T2, one patient had diffuse cerebral edema and one patient had diffuse increased signal intensity
5 three patients had meningeal enhancement, four patients had a focus of attenuation or hypodensity, three patients had hydrocephalus or ventriculomegaly, one patient had infarct of the cerebellum, basal ganglia, parietal and occipital regions, one patient had optic nerve enlargement, and one patient had a clinical artifact of the brain stem
6 two patients had subdural effusions and one patient had possible increased intracranial pressure
7 focus of attenuation or hypodensity
8 small perforating vessel infarct
9 one patient had calcifications presumably from methotrexate and radiation therapy and one patient had a ventricular peritoneal shunt
10 one patient had old trauma, two patients had Dandy Walker Syndrome, one patient had Cockaynes Syndrome, one patient had a possible small aneurysm, and two patients had post-surgical changes
11 symmetric small ventricles
12 no intracranial abnormalities, but possible sinusitis or mastoiditis
13 no intracranial abnormalities, but possible sinusitis