The role of CT brain findings in the early diagnosis of infantile encephalitic beriberi.

Background: Thiamine deficiency disease may occur in infants from thiamine-deficient mothers in developing countries, as well as in infants fed solely with soy-based formula. Thiamine deficiency in infants may present with acute neurological manifestations of infantile encephalitic beriberi.

Objective: To review the role of noncontrast CT brain findings in infantile encephalitic beriberi in early diagnosis.

Materials And Methods: A retrospective review of noncontrast CT scans of the brain in 21 infants with acute-onset infantile encephalitic beriberi was carried out.

Results: On noncontrast-enhanced CT brain, hypodense lesions were seen symmetrically in the putamen in all the babies; symmetric hypodensities were seen in the caudate nuclei in 14/21 (67%), in dorsomedial thalami/hypothalamic/subthalamic area in 4/21 (19%), and in the globi pallidi in 2/21 (9.5%) of the infants.

Conclusion: Recognition of symmetrical hypodense lesions in the basal ganglia and medial thalami/hypothalamic/subthalamic area on noncontrast CT scan of the brain are important early features to recognize in encephalitic beriberi in at-risk infants.

Advances In Knowledge: IEBB is a cause of hypodense bilateral basal ganglia and may be identified by this finding in the appropriate clinical settings.