Multicystic encephalomalacia: CT appearance and pathological correlation.

Perinatal insults, including anoxia, may lead to a form of cerebral necrosis designated multicystic encephalomalacia. This common condition is characterized by (a) moderate atrophic ventricular dilatation, (b) intact ventricular walls with thickened subependymal glial layer, (c) multiple cysts of irregular size and shape distributed throughout the cerebral white matter and the inner layers of the cortex bilaterally, and (d) relative sparing of the orbital surfaces of the frontal lobes, the temporal lobes below the superior temporal gyri, the basal ganglia, the cerebellar hemispheres, and the spinal cord (except for secondary degeneration of corticospinal tracts).