Microhemorrhage identified on 3.0 T MR susceptibility-weighted imaging for prognosis of viral encephalitis.

Objective: To evaluate the relationship of microhemorrhage on susceptibility-weighted imaging (SWI) with the severity of clinical symptoms and the prognosis of viral encephalitis.

Materials And Methods: Thirty patients with clinically diagnosed viral encephalitis were divided into three groups according to the Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) and the condition of recovery namely, Group I (n = 12): Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS)≥13 and recovered with no sequelae; Group II (n = 11): GCS 9-12 and recovered with some sequelae; Group III (n = 7): GCS 3-8 and recovered with more severe sequelae. The microhemorrhage detectability on SWI and conventional MR imaging in these three groups was compared and their correlations with different seriousness of clinical symptoms and prognosis were analyzed.