Abstract

SGARBI, N.. Infecciones del sistema nervioso: nuevas herramientas diagnósticas. Rev. argent. radiol. [online]. 2015, vol.79, n.1, pp.12-31. ISSN 1852-9992.

Central nervous system infections are an emerging health problem with poor prognosis if treatment is not adequate. Thus, establishing a correct diagnosis is necessary to quickly start the appropriate treatment. This is a real challenge for the radiologist, as it frequently requires a multidisciplinary approach. The relatively low performance of diagnostic imaging is well known. While computed tomography (CT) is limited only to an initial structural assessment, with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) being the method of choice, although it has a low specificity. However, this has been substantially modified in recent years with the introduction into daily practice of new magnetic resonance sequences that allow precise structural and functional analysis, and provide essential additional information for final diagnosis. Now, due to the techniques of diffusion, perfusion, and spectroscopy, among others, a more detailed analysis can be made in conjunction with clinical and laboratory studies that significantly improve the sensitivity and specificity of MRI in this complex patient group. The patterns of the most common infectious diseases of the nervous system are reviewed here, highlighting the contributions of functional sequences in these complex patients. © 2014 Sociedad Argentina de Radiología. Published by Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

Keywords : Brain abscess; Encephalitis; Diffusion; MRI perfusion; Spectroscopy.

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