Inflammatory lesions of the brainstem: Keys for the diagnosis by MRI

Objective

To describe the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings for the most common inflammatory and immune-mediated diseases that involve the brainstem.

Conclusion

Inflammatory lesions involving the brainstem are associated with a wide range of autoimmune, infectious, and paraneoplastic syndromes, making the differential diagnosis complex. Being familiar with these entities, their clinical characteristics, and their manifestations on MRI, especially the number of lesions, their shape and extension, and their appearance in different sequences, is useful for orienting the radiological diagnosis.