Brain stem glioma in childhood: acute hemiplegic onset.
Two children, age seven and 16 years, are described with the abrupt onset of a pure motor hemiplegia as the initial manifestation of a brain stem neoplasm. Subsequent rapid neurological deterioration localized the lesion to the brain stem and glioblastoma multiforme was diagnosed by surgical biopsy. It is suggested that brain stem gliomas with this unusual presentation are likely to be highly malignant and prone to rapid bulbar deterioration.
D000208:Acute Disease; D000293:Adolescent; D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000150:complications*; D001933:Brain Stem; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D005909:Glioblastoma / Q000150:complications*; D005910:Glioma / Q000150:complications*; D006429:Hemiplegia / Q000209:etiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male