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Title: Encephalomalacia versus Edema on Brain CT

Category: Neurology

Keywords: encephalomalacia, brain CT, stroke, brain injury, cerebral edema (PubMed Search)

Posted: 10/1/2008 by Aisha Liferidge, MD (Updated: 7/21/2026)

  • Encephalomalacia, also known as cerebromalacia, is a softening of brain tissue that results from ischemia or inflammation, most typically due to vascular insufficiency or degenerative changes.
  • On Brain CT, it appears as a darkened area and can be confused for cerebral edema due to acute ischemia (i.e stroke).
  • Unlike edema, encephalomalacia on CT is often accompanied by:

                    ---  well defined, circular vacuoles

                    ---  presence of good gray-white matter differentiation in surrounding areas

                    ---  a lack of significant effacement or lost of sulcus definition

                    ---  a history of prior stroke or head injury


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