Imaging findings in rabies encephalitis

Rabies encephalitis is perhaps one of the few infectious diseases that comm and attention and fear not only from the layman but also from physicians, T he unique mode of transmission, the virtually exclusive neurotransmission s hown by the agent, and the complete hopelessness of the established disease sets rabies apart from other zoonoses transmitted to man. Rabies encephali tis is a fatal disease and its diagnosis is usually based on the clinical p resentations and findings, Hence, imaging in rabies is seldom done, and ima ging findings in rabies encephalitis have rarely been described. We present the imaging findings in two confirmed cases of rabies encephalitis in whic h antemortem diagnosis was obtained by corneal impression smears showing th e presence of viral antigens, The differential diagnosis of the imaging fin dings as well as the role and the relevance of imaging in the diagnosis of this disease are discussed, The current literature on the subject is also r eviewed.