Pediatric AIDS: A Longitudinal Comparative MRI and CT Brain Imaging Study

Abstract

Fourteen consecutive children with acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) (age range, 4 months to 11 years; median 4 years) were studied prospectively comparing nonenhanced cranial magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and computed tomographic (CT) scans. MRI and CT were performed twice: at time of entry into protocol and again at 1 year. In addition, sequential neurologic (every 2 months) and neuropsychological examinations (every 6 months) were performed. At entry, 12 children had abnormal neurologic examinations; of these, 10 had developmental delay; two children were normal by developmental history and neurologic examination. Five children performed in the normal range on a standardized neuropsychological test, whereas nine children showed significant delays in verbal or motor/perceptual development. Following 1 year of study, four children had normal and six had abnormal neurologic examinations (six stable and four improved). Neuropsychological examinations were normal in five children and abnormal in five (seven stable, one improved, and two deteriorated). At entry, the following neuroradiographic abnormalities were seen: brain parenchymal volume loss (eight, MR = CT), cervical lymphatic enlargement (four, MR = CT), striatal-thalamic calcification (one, CT > MR), delayed myelination (one, MR > CT), and focal white-matter lesions (one, MR > CT). At 1 year the following neuroradiographic changes were seen: brain parenchymal volume loss (10, MR = CT; two improved, eight stable); cervical lymphatic enlargement (one, MR = CT; three improved, one stable), striatal-thalamic calcification (one, CT > MR; one new), and focal white-matter lesions (one, MR > CT; one stable). In conclusion, MRI offered no apparent advantage over CT in evaluating a small cohort of children with AIDS followed longitudinally for 1 year. This preliminary data would suggest that CT alone is sufficiently sensitive in evaluating pediatric AIDS-related brain abnormalities. ( J Child Neurol 1993;8:175-181).