title: Enteroviral encephalitis leading to a locked-in state.
abstract: Millions of children are infected by enteroviruses each year, usually exhibiting only mild symptoms. Although enteroviruses are a common cause of community-acquired aseptic meningitis, enteroviral meningitis usually has a benign course. We describe a 14-year-old patient with enteroviral meningoencephalitis diagnosed by polymerase chain reaction. Her level of consciousness declined rapidly after hospital admission and resulted in a locked-in state. Although she experienced slow neurologic improvement, residual neurologic deficits remain. Although there is a general awareness of the characteristics of enteroviralencephalitis, this case report is significant in presenting a case of unusual severity and sequelae. To our knowledge, this is the first published report of an enterovirus encephalitis leading to a locked-in-state.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Phoenix Children's Hospital, Arizona, USA.
authors.forename: V Z
authors.initials: VZ
authors.lastname: Acharya
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Talwar
authors.forename: S P
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: Elliott
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D018792:Encephalitis, Viral / Q000150:complications*; D004770:Enterovirus / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011782:Quadriplegia / Q000534:rehabilitation / Q000821:virology*