Medknow Publications on behalf of the Neurological Society of India
Abstract
The parieto-occipital region of the brain is most frequently and
severely affected in subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (SSPE). The
basal ganglia, cerebellum and corpus callosum are less commonly
involved. Brainstem involvement is rarely described in SSPE, and
usually there is involvement of other regions of the brain. We describe
a patient with subacute sclerosing panencephalitis with brain magnetic
resonance imaging showing extensive brainstem involvement without
significant involvement of other cortical structures. Though rarely
described in SSPE, one should be aware of such brainstem and cerebellum
involvement, and SSPE should be kept in mind when brainstem signal
changes are seen in brain MRI with or without involvement of other
regions of brain to avoid erroneous reporting