Magnetic resonance imaging of the brain in congenital rubella virus and cytomegalovirus infections.

Two children with congenital rubella virus and six with cytomegalovirus (CMV) infections, were examined by magnetic resonance (MR) and CT. Cranial MR imaging (MRI) with T2-weighted spin-echo (SE) and inversion recovery (IR) sequences demonstrated the following: periventricular hyperintensity (4), subcortical hyperintensity (5), delayed myelination (4), oligo/pachygyria (2), cerebellar hypoplasia (2). This study showed that the more-disabled children had more marked abnormal MRI findings. MRI was more effective in the detection of parenchymal lesion than was CT, although intraventricular calcification was better visualized with CT.