Letter from the guest editor: Toxic and metabolic encephalopathic syndromes: Definition and Imaging of 'Encephalopathy'

摘要

When invited to compose this special issue of Seminars that focuses on "Toxic and Metabolic Encephalopathic Syndromes," I initially balked because of the broad spectrum of disorders that could be included, ranging from congenital-genetic inborn errors of metabolism (CIEMs), to posttherapy or medication complications such as posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome (PRES), to toxic exposures such as acute toxic leukoencephalopathies (TLs). Potentially, such a large range of topics, if discussed only partially, could still fill an entire text! I eventually agreed, but for the purpose of brevity had to settle on those topics that (1) may present as "encephalopathy," (2) are potentially treatable, or (3) are quite recognizable on imaging. I decided to generally exclude purely infectious, inflammatory, or thromboembolic disorders, or those purely pediatric genetic disorders that are nearly always fatal in the neonate.