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Two diagnostic algorithms for autoimmune encephalitis (AE) have been proposed: one general, one pediatric. Although they largely overlap, the pediatric algorithm does not include evaluation for established clinical-radiological syndromes such as acute disseminated encephalomyelitis (ADEM) or limbic encephalitis. It also requires at minimum only one demonstration of inflammation by MRI, cerebrospinal fluid, or brain biopsy for diagnosis of antibody-negative AE (ANAE), as opposed to two in the general algorithm. To evaluate the real-world utility of these algorithms, researchers assessed 729 pediatric patients with suspected AE seen over an 8-year period at multiple hospitals in Spain.
During a median 36-month follow-up period, 32% of these pa…