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Isolating Central Nervous System Tissues and Associated Meninges for the Downstream Analysis of Immune cells
09:35

Isolating Central Nervous System Tissues and Associated Meninges for the Downstream Analysis of Immune cells

Published on: May 19, 2020

Fungal infections of the central nervous system

Mahan Mathur1, Carl E Johnson, Gordon Sze

  • 1Department of Radiology, Yale University Medical Center, New Haven, CT 06510, USA. mahan.mathur@gmail.com

Neuroimaging Clinics of North America
|November 6, 2012
PubMed

Insights

Central nervous system fungal infections are common in immunocompromised individuals. Imaging and advanced techniques aid in distinguishing fungal infections from other central nervous system (CNS) conditions.

Area of Science:

  • Neurology
  • Infectious Diseases
  • Radiology

Background:

  • Fungal infections of the central nervous system (CNS) predominantly affect immunocompromised or debilitated patients.
  • CNS fungal infections present with non-specific imaging findings, classifiable into extra-axial, parenchymal, or vascular patterns.
  • Fungal morphology influences imaging presentation: large hyphal species favor parenchymal involvement, while small unicellular fungi typically cause meningitis.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the imaging manifestations of CNS fungal infections.
  • To correlate fungal morphology with specific imaging patterns.
  • To highlight the role of advanced imaging in differentiating fungal CNS disease.

Main Methods:

  • Review of neuroimaging findings in patients with CNS fungal infections.
  • Correlation of imaging features with fungal species and host immune status.
  • Evaluation of advanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) techniques.

Main Results:

  • Imaging findings are categorized as extra-axial, parenchymal, or vascular.
  • Large hyphal fungi are associated with parenchymal lesions, whereas small unicellular fungi are linked to meningitis.
  • Advanced MRI techniques like diffusion-weighted imaging, perfusion, and spectroscopy can aid in differential diagnosis.

Conclusions:

  • Understanding fungal morphology is crucial for predicting CNS imaging patterns.
  • Advanced neuroimaging modalities, in conjunction with clinical data, improve the differentiation of fungal CNS infections from mimics like pyogenic infections or metastases.

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