MICROSTRUCTURAL AND WHITE MATTER TRACT CHANGES ON MR TRACTOGRAPHY IN CHILDREN WITH VIRAL PANENCEPHALITIS

Viral panencephalitis in children affects not only the cortex and grey matter but also white matter pathways, and this damage largely determines long-term neurological and cognitive outcomes [1, 2]. Standard MRI shows macro-scopic lesions but cannot assess the integrity of conducting pathways, while diffusion abnormalities are known to accompany the clinical evolution of subacute sclerosing panencephalitis [3]. Diffusion tensor MR tractography makes it possible to quantify microstructural changes, but its role in grading paediatric panencephalitis has not been established.