Parasagittal cerebral injury: magnetic resonance findings

Parasagittal cerebral injury is a specific pathologic lesion that can be found in full-term newborn babies suffering from hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy. It is defined by the presence of cortical and subcortical white-matter necrosis involving the parasagittal and superomedial areas of the cerebral convexities. We report on two patients who showed parasagittal cerebral injury on magnetic resonance imaging. In both cases antecedents of hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy were noted. In one of the patients basal ganglia involvement was also detected by cranial magnetic resonance imaging. In the follow-up studies the presence of upper-limb pyramidal signs and dyspraxia were two of the more pronounced symptoms. We will discuss the usefulness of neuroimaging, especially magnetic resonance imaging with coronal views, in the diagnosis of the parasagittal cerebral injury.