[Clinical picture and pathologic anatomy of diffuse periaxial encephalitis].

The data obtained by the authors refute the generally accepted opinion to the effect that Schilder's encephalitis is a very rare disease predominantly affecting children. Clinical and neurohistological examinations of 16 patients have made it possible to establish that demyelinization foci may affect all portions of the brain, being found, however, more commonly in the frontal and occipital lobes, basal ganglia and brain stem. The spinal cord is also frequently involved. The clinical picture of the disease is polymorphic and reflects multiple lesions of the associative and projectional conductive pathways. The most consistent findings include mental disturbances and symptoms of pyramidal tract affection. The development and course of the disease are variable. In some cases long-term relapses may develop.