Treatment options to consider in encephalitis (modified from Boos and Esiri)52
| *Considered experimental. | |
| †Acute disseminated encephalomyelitis presents acutely; the others typically present with a subacute encephalitis. | |
| Acute viral encephalitis | |
| Herpes simplex virus 1 and 2 | Aciclovir |
| Varicella zoster virus (incluing cerebellitis) | Aciclovir plus corticosteroids |
| Human herpes virus-6 | Ganciclovir, foscarnet |
| Rabies | Ketamine*, amantidine, ribavirin |
| Subacute/chronic encephalitis | |
| In the immunocompromised | |
| Varicella-zoster virus | Aciclovir |
| Cytomegalovirus | Ganciclovir, foscarnet, cidofovir |
| Measles inclusion body encephalitis | Ribavirin |
| Enterovirus | Pleconaril, specific immunoglobulin |
| Progressive multifocal leukoencephalophy in HIV patients | Highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART), cidofovir |
| In the immunocompetent | |
| Subacute sclerosing panencephalitis | Interferon alpha (intraventricular), ribavirin inosiplex |
| Progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy | Consider cytosine arabinoside (ARA-C) |
| Progressive rubella panencephalitis | Plasma exchange |
| Rasmussen’s encephalitis | IVIg |
| Immune-mediated encephalitis | |
| Acute disseminated encephalomyelitis† | Coricoteroids/IVIg/plasma exchange |
| Paraneoplastic | Treatment of underlying tumour, consider immunosuppression |
| Voltage gated K channel limbic encephalitis | IVIg/plasma exchange plus corticosteroids |