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Researchers retrospectively reviewed the charts of infants (age, <1 year) who received empirical acyclovir at Kentucky Children's Hospital from 2001 to 2008 to identify laboratory and clinical neurological findings at presentation that might predict herpes simplex virus encephalitis (HSVE). Patients were excluded if they were admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit or had congenital malformations or syndromes; known seizure disorders; hematologic or oncological disease; or localized skin, eye, or mouth infections.
Of 407 infants identified, 218 infants were included in the analysis. Of these, 38 patients (17%) did not undergo lumbar puncture, and 50 (23%) did not undergo polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis of cerebrospinal fluid (C…