[Cerebral white matter lesions: differential diagnosis on magnetic resonance imaging]

It is often difficult to make a differential diagnosis of cerebral white-matter lesions on magnetic resonance images (MRI), because imaging findings are non-specific. However, it is possible to make a correct diagnosis of some kinds of cerebral white-matter lesions upon a detailed analysis of MRI. In analyzing MRI of cerebral white matter lesions, the localization and shape of white-matter lesions are important factors to make a differential diagnosis. Other images such as diffusion-weighted or T2-star weighted images are sometimes also useful for making such a diagnosis. In this manuscript, I describe how to read MRI of cerebral white-matter lesions, and present some educational cases.