Pediatric central nervous system infections and inflammatory white matter disease.

This article reviews the immunology of the central nervous system and the clinical presentation, diagnosis, and treatment of children with viral or parainfectious encephalitis. The emphasis is on the early recognition of treatable causes of viral encephalitis (herpes simplex virus), and the diagnosis and treatment of acute disseminated encephalomyelitis are described in detail. Laboratory and imaging findings in the two conditions also are described.