Confirmation by magnetic resonance imaging of Bell's cruciate paralysis in a young child with Chiari type I malformation and minor head trauma.
We report the case of a young girl who suffered bilateral upper extremity paralysis after minor head trauma. Her clinical picture, as well as radiographic evidence of a fracture at C1, led to the diagnosis of Bell's cruciate paralysis, caused by a small lesion in the rostral part of the pyramidal decussation. Magnetic resonance images showed, in addition to a Chiari Type I malformation, an abnormality in the medulla. All previous cases of cruciate paralysis lack both pathological and radiographic supporting evidence.
Department of Neurology, New York Hospital-Cornell Medical Center, New York.
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V
Erlich
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R
Snow
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L
Heier
D001139:Arnold-Chiari Malformation / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D010243:Paralysis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology; D011712:Pyramidal Tracts / Q000293:injuries; D013119:Spinal Cord Injuries / Q000150:complications*