Parasagittal cerebral injury: Magnetic resonance findings

Parasagittal cerebral injury is a specific pathologic lesion that can be fo und in full-term newborn babies suffering from hypoxic-ischemic encephalopa thy. It is defined by the presence of cortical and subcortical white-matter necrosis involving the parasagittal and superomedial areas of the cerebral convexities. We report on two patients who showed parasagittal cerebral in jury on magnetic resonance imaging. In both cases antecedents of hypoxic-is chemic encephalopathy were noted. In one of the patients basal ganglia invo lvement was also detected by cranial magnetic resonance imaging. In the fol low-up studies the presence of upper-limb pyramidal signs and dyspraxia wer e two of the more pronounced symptoms. We will discuss the usefulness of ne uroimaging, especially magnetic resonance imaging with coronal views, in th e diagnosis of the parasagittal cerebral injury.