[Current problems in the pathological anatomy of acute neuroinfections in children].

The analysis of the autopsy material of children dying from acute neuroinfections in a specialized department of the Research Institute of Children's Infections from 1954 to 1984 is presented. The increase of the importance of hypertoxic forms of meningococcal infection, purulent meningoencephalitis (particularly those of pneumococcal etiology) as well as acute viral encephalitis (particularly herpetic ones) is noted at present. The results of the materials studied by the author from 182 children dying of those infections at the period from 1971 to 1984, the problems of their patho- and tanatogenesis are discussed. Special attention is drawn to the necessity of considering the type of an etiological agent, its properties, the features of tissue response and those of the immunological resistance in the brain for the diagnosis and epicritic assessment of acute neuroinfections.