Imaging Studies Zero in on Zika Impact Radiologic findings offer insight into signs and symptoms

"Neural axis MRI were performed in adult patients with acute neurological syndrome after exanthematic fever suggestive of Zika infection. Newborns with microcephaly whose mothers had exanthematic fever underwent brain MRI, some also with [ultrasound] and CT, and histopathological study of the placenta. Fetal MRI was performed in pregnant women who have had exanthematic fever," they said. They found that most of the adult patients presented with symptoms of Guillain-Barré syndrome and variants, while a few presented with encephalomyelitis. The most common finding was lumbar root enhancement followed by lumbar dorsal ganglia enhancement and facial nerve enhancement. Other findings included brain-stem lesions, spinal cord lesions, and trigeminal nerve enhancement. MRI studies in newborns and fetal MRI showed anatomical changes in the brain parenchyma and orbital injuries. http://www.medpagetoday.com/MeetingCoverage/RSNA/61770?xid=nl_mpt_DHE_2016-12-02&eun=g721819d0r&pos=2