jsmc-10080

Case Report

A CASE OF BICKERSTAFF’S BRAINSTEM ENCEPHALITIS IN CHILDHOOD

Khalid Hama Salih *

* Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University.

Submitted: 3/9/2014; Accepted: 1/4/2015; Published 1/12/2015

DOI Link: https://doi.org/10.17656/jsmc.10080 

ABSTRACT

Bickerstaff’s brainstem encephalitis is characterized by acute progressive ophthalmoplegia, ataxia, and disturbance of consciousness. It is similar to Miller Fisher syndrome, a variant of Guillain-Barre syndrome, because they have some features in common like; ophthalmoplegia and ataxia. The difference is that patients with Bickerstaff’s brainstem encephalitis have impaired consciousness and hyperreflexia while patients with Miller Fisher syndrome have alert consciousness and areflexia.

Here, we present a case 4 year and 3 month old girl with abrupt onset ophthalmoplegia, ataxia and disturbed consciousness, her brain Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) was normal, cerebrospinal fluid analysis showed albuminocytological dissociation, and Nerve conduction study is suggestive of Acute Inflammatory Demyelinating-axonal motor polyneuropathy (AIDP). She has been treated successfully with steroid with complete recovery within two months.

KEYWORDS

Encephalitis, Bickerstaff’s, Brain stem, Complete recovery.

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