[Clinico-morphologic analysis of subacute sclerosing panencephalitis in patients up to the 19th year of life].

Deaths of patients with the subacute sclerosing panencephalitis were analysed in the non-selected autopsy material within 1976-1985. Fifteen cases of the disease, i.e. 0.12% of all autopsies and 3.8% of autopsies in the age group between 1 and 19 years, were noted. Fourteen cases of the subacute sclerosing panencephalitis were noted in the age group of 5-14 years. Mean age was 9.3 years. The disease was nearly three-fold more frequent in male patients. Time lapse between measles infection or antimeasles vaccination and hospitalization for the subacute sclerosing panencephalitis was 4.2 years for both sexes and was much lower for male patients--2.9 years. Morphological lesions characteristic for the subacute sclerosing panencephalitis were seen in the white matter and cortex of the brain in all examined patients. Lesions to the basal ganglia were noted in 9 cases, and additionally to the brain stem and vermiform lobe in 3 cases. The most frequent clinical symptoms accompanying the subacute sclerosing panencephalitis at the beginning of the hospitalization, other diseases and conformation of the clinical diagnosis with sectional findings are also discussed.