Blood-brain barrier damage and new-onset refractory status epilepticus: an explorative study using dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI

This is the first study investigating blood-brain barrier (BBB) dysfunction in new-onset refractory status epilepticus (NORSE) using dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI (DCE-MRI). BBBs of NORSE patients were impaired diffusely, and they had significantly higher BBB permeability in the basal ganglia and thalamus compared to encephalitis patients without status epilepticus (SE). Our preliminary findings demonstrate that BBB dysfunction in the basal ganglia and thalamus plays an important role in the pathophysiology of NORSE.