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Updated: Aug 12, 2026

Diffusion Tensor Magnetic Resonance Imaging in the Analysis of Neurodegenerative Diseases
Published on: July 28, 2013
Diagnostic usefulness of diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging in influenza-associated acute encephalopathy
Y Tokunaga1, R Kira, M Takemoto
1Department of Pediatrics, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, 812-8582, Fukuoka, Japan. ytoku@pediatr.med.kyushu-u.ac.jp
Abstract:
A magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) study was performed for a 20-month-old girl with an influenza type A infection who presented acute encephalopathy. Conventional MRI performed 8 days after the onset of encephalopathy, including T1-weighted, T2-weighted, and fluid-attenuated inversion recovery imaging, revealed only vague lesions in the right frontal, temporal, and parietal lobes. In contrast, diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) then demonstrated the lesions much more intensively. On the 26th day, the lesions previously observed on DWI had become less discernible. The hyperintensity observed on DWI might reflect cytotoxic edema. Thus, DWI may be useful for evaluation of acute influenzal encephalopathy/encephalitis.
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