MRI Findings of Acute Hippocampal Disorders: Pictorial Essay

The hippocampus is one of the most metabolically active regions of the brain; therefore, it may be affected by various acute disorders. This study aimed to introduce and categorize various acute conditions that can involve the hippocampus and explain the findings of MRI, especially diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI). Acute hippocampal disorders are divided into six categories: infection, inflammation, metabolic, ischemic, traumatic, and miscellaneous. In this study, patients were retrospectively reviewed based on clinical findings and MRI, especially DWI. All diseases had been confirmed clinically or pathologically. Many acute hippocampal disorders overlap with the clinical manifestations. Thus, it is necessary to categorize acute hippocampal lesions and understand their specific imaging findings for differential diagnosis.