Acute disseminated encephalomyelitis

Acute disseminated encephalomyelitis (ADEM) presents as an acute-onset neurological dysfunction following a triggering event such as an infection or vaccination. Patients present with polysymptomatic neurological dysfunction, and imaging shows multifocal white matter lesions in the brain and spinal cord. Clinical evaluation, magnetic resonance imaging, and cerebrospinal fluid study are most useful in establishing the diagnosis and ruling out important differential diagnoses. Corticosteroids are the mainstay of treatment and the role of other modalities of treatment, such as plasma exchange and intravenous immunoglobulin, require further study. Prognosis is generally good. The recently proposed consensus definitions are likely to facilitate delineation of ADEM from other acquired demyelinating disorders.