Diffusion-weighted imaging of cerebral malaria.

Cerebral malaria occurs in 2% of patients infected by Plasmodium falciparum. Magnetic resonance imaging findings of small white matter infarcts due to cerebral malaria have been previously reported, however nonspecific. Since diffusion-weighted imaging can differentiate acute embolic infarcts from other chronic or nonspecific white matter lesions, it may aid diagnosis of this illness in patients who travel to endemic areas.