A 7-y-old girl presented with fever, chills, status epilepticus, and altered sensorium for one day. Examination showed multiple skin ecchymoses, hepatomegaly, and coma. Investigations revealed anemia, thrombocytopenia, coagulopathy, raised transaminases, and schizonts of
Plasmodium vivax in peripheral blood film confirming malaria. After two days of artemisinin combination therapy, she regained consciousness for 60 h. On the fifth day of illness, she again became encephalopathic. Magnetic Resonance Imaging of the brain (Fig.
1a-f) showed diffusion restriction in the subcortical white matter with a ‘bright-tree appearance’ and sparing of the basal ganglia, consistent with the central sparing pattern of Acute Leukoencephalopathy with Restricted Diffusion (ALERD). She was given methylprednisolone pulses and intravenous immunoglobulin for five days. She became fully conscious and ambulant on the 14th day of illness. …