Central nervous system infection: imaging findings suggestive of a fungus as the cause

Abstract

Fungal infections of the central nervous system (CNS) are rare. However, because of the increase in the number of immunocompromised individuals, they have been gaining prominence in the differential diagnosis of CNS infections. Imaging techniques are sensitive for detecting and localizing an abnormality, in many cases allowing the origin of a lesion to be categorized as infectious, inflammatory, neoplastic, or vascular. This essay illustrates the magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography findings of the most common fungal infections of the CNS, based on the experience of the Radiology Department of the Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre, in the city of Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.

Magnetic resonance imaging findings in diseases affecting the cranial nerves

“…Numerous diseases can cause cranial nerve dysfunction, and the assessment of such diseases represents a major diagnostic challenge. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is the main imaging method used in order to evaluate lesions of the central nervous system, and such evaluations have been the subject of a series of recent studies in the radiology literature of Brazil( 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 ). The use of MRI is essential for the assessment of cranial nerve injuries, and knowledge of MRI acquisition protocols and techniques, as well as of the MRI aspects of the various diseases, is essential for radiologists.…”