Adult cerebral malaria: prognostic importance of imaging findings and correlation with postmortem findings.

OBJECTIVE

To correlate imaging abnormalities, clinical features, and postmortem findings in patients with proved cerebral malaria.

METHODS

Twenty-one patients aged 17-50 years with cerebral malaria consented to undergo transverse nonenhanced (10-mm sections) and contrast material-enhanced (8-mm sections in posterior fossa and 10-mm sections in supratentorial region) CT on admission (n = 21) and on day 10 (n = 6), with thin sections (5 mm) obtained in the area of abnormality. All CT scans were evaluated for diffuse cerebral edema, focal parenchymal abnormalities, and hemorrhage. CT findings were categorized as normal, diffuse cerebral edema, and edema with thalamic hypoattenuation without or with cerebellar hypoattenuation. Spearman rank correlation test was performed.

RESULTS

Initial scans were normal in seven patients with mild disease (median Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation [APACHE] II score of 7, median Glasgow Coma Scale [GCS] score of 10), and all survived. Of eight patients with diffuse cerebral edema (GCS > or = 8; median APACHE II, 21), six survived. Cerebral edema with thalamic and cerebellar white matter hypoattenuation was seen in five patients. All had GCS score of 6 or less, median APACHE II score of 26, and multiorgan failure; none survived. One patient (GCS = 6) had thalamic hypoattenuation without cerebellar lesions. He survived with mild residual hemiparesis. Diffuse petechial hemorrhages were seen in the cerebrum and cerebellum at autopsy in all seven patients who died. These petechial hemorrhages were not visualized on CT scans. CT findings did not correlate with degree of parasitemia.

CONCLUSIONS

CT findings correlate well with level of consciousness and severity of disease but underestimate the extent of disease at pathologic examination. A normal CT scan indicates a favorable outcome, whereas cerebellar hypoattenuation portends a poor outcome.