RESOLUTION OF INTRACRANIAL CALCIFICATIONS IN INFANTS WITH TREATED CONGENITAL TOXOPLASMOSIS

PURPOSE: To determine the natural history of intracranial calcificatio ns in infants with treated congenital toxoplasmosis. MATERIALS AND MET HODS: Between January 1982 and March 1994, cranial computed tomography was performed in 56 infants with treated congenital toxoplasmosis whe n they were newborns and approximately 1 year old. Locations and sizes of intracranial calcifications were noted. RESULTS: Forty newborns ha d intracranial calcifications. By 1 year of age, calcifications dimini shed or resolved in 30 (75%) and remained stable in 10 (25%) of these treated infants. Ten (33%) of the 30 infants whose calcifications dimi nished versus seven (70%) of the 10 infants with stable calcifications received less intensive antimicrobial treatment than the other treate d infants. In contrast, a small number of infants who were untreated o r treated 1 month or less had intracranial calcifications that increas ed or remained stable during their Ist year of life. CONCLUSION: Dimin ution or resolution of intracranial calcifications was an unexpected a nd remarkable finding in infants with treated, congenital toxoplasmosi s, consonant with their improved neurologic functioning.