Diffusion-weighted imaging in the setting of diffuse cortical laminar necrosis and hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy.

Background And Purpose: As is the case for CT scans, MR images may occasionally appear deceptively normal unless proper windowing is used. We sought to illustrate the necessity for proper windowing and for assessing the gray-white matter differentiation on diffusion-weighted (DW) images in the setting of hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy.

Methods: Six comatose patients (age range, 34-56 years) underwent MR imaging in the early phase (range, 1-5 days) after severe anoxic insult.