Unusual MRI findings after status epilepticus due to cat-scratch disease.

A 4-year-old girl with status epilepticus and severe encephalopathy associated with cat-scratch disease is described. She had prolonged seizures lasting more than 2 weeks and required treatment with pentobarbital coma. She developed unusual abnormalities on magnetic resonance imaging scans that involved the thalami and the cortex of the temporal, parietal, and occipital lobes. She has developed a persistent encephalopathy manifesting as visual disturbance and frequent partial seizures.