[Herpetic encephalitis in infants and children. Methods of diagnosis]

Thirteen infants and 2 children with Herpes simplex encephalitis are reported and the authors emphasize the diagnostic value of several investigations: the neurological examination (fits followed by early motor deficit on the same side and coma), the EEG (periodicity and asymmetry of the trace), the CT scan (hypodensity in the frontotemporal areas), the level of the Interferon alpha in blood and cerebrospinal fluid, the electrophoretic pattern of cerebrospinal fluid proteins and the comparative study of cerebrospinal fluid/serum antibodies towards several viral antigens.