Abstract
Mild encephalopathy with a reversible splenial lesion (MERS) is a clinico-radiological
syndrome characterized by a transient mild encephalopathy and MRI findings of a reversible
lesion in the splenium of corpus callosum (SCC). It is classified in MERS type I and
MERS type II, depending on the involvement of SCC alone or also other white matter
areas. The syndrome mainly affects children and young adults; the prognosis is favorable
with complete or nearly complete neurological and radiological resolution within days
or weeks. The vast majority of the cases described in the literature involve Asian
and Australian children. The exact pathophysiology is unknown; however, infectious-related
MERS (in particular virus associated MERS) remains the most common cause of reversible
splenial lesions in childhood. To the best of our knowledge, there is only one published
case of MERS associated with cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection involving an Australian
child. We present here the first case of a CMV-related MERS in a European Caucasian
child.
Keywords
MERS - CMV - splenial reversible lesion