Selective brainstem injury in an asphyxiated newborn.

We report the clinical, radiological, and neuropathological features of selective brainstem injury in an asphyxiated term infant. Disproportionate injury to thalamus, basal ganglia, and brainstem with relative sparing of cortex and subcortical white matter is observed occasionally after acute total asphyxia. Although this entity has been well documented neuropathologically, the specific computed tomographic findings have not been reported previously to our knowledge, and the clinical correlation is recognized rarely.