WHITE MATTER INJURY IN A NEONATE WITH ROTAVIRUS INFECTION

Abstract

Rotavirus infection is common in neonates. Although rare in this age group, a wide range of neurologic manifestations have been recognized in neonates with rotavirus infection. The clinical features of rotavirus-infected neonates with white matter injury include the onset of seizures at days 4-6 of life in apparently healthy term neonates. Recent studies using diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) have suggested a connection between neonatal seizures and rotavirus infection and that rotavirus infection can induce diffuse white matter injury without direct invasion of the central nervous system. Neonates with seizures associated with rotavirus infection show extensive and symmetric areas of restricted diffusion in the periventricular white matter, deep white matter, corpus callosum, internal capsule, optic radiation, or posterior thalami. Similar imaging appearance is also seen in encephalitis associated with parechovirus or enterovirus. DWI is required to detect this white matter injury.