[Three cases with acute encephalopathy related with adenovirus type 7 infection].

We studied the clinical and CT findings of 3 children with acute encephalopathy associated with adenovirus type 7 (AD-7) infection. Seizures in all the patients developed from 8 to 10 days after the onset of pyrexia. The values of serum AST, LDH and CRP elevated and those of WBC and serum protein decreased at the onset of encephalopathy. None of the patients had CSF leukocytosis. CT showed mild brain atrophy in all patients. A steroid pulse therapy was effective in one patient. The pathogenesis of encephalopathy is unknown. However, its onset and the success of the steroid pulse therapy suggested that it is a post infectious encephalitis. These findings, as well as the data of blood examination and of previous reports, implicated adverse effects of cytokines in the pathogenesis of this encephalopathy.