title: Early-onset acute transverse myelitis following hepatitis B vaccination and respiratory infection: case report.
abstract: Acute transverse myelitis is an acute inflammatory process of the spinal cord and it is a rare clinical syndrome in childhood. In this paper, we report a case of 3 years-old boy who developed acute onset tetraparesia following a viral respiratory infecction and hepatitis B vaccination. Magnetic resonance imaging of the spinal cord disclosed signal-intensity abnormalities from C4 to C3. A diagnosis of acute transverse myelitis was made and the patient was treated with IV methylprednisolone and IV immunoglobulin. The child had a fair outcome despite of the very acute course of the disease and the presence of a cervical sensory level which usually harbor a poor prognosis.
authors.affiliation: Centro Geral de Pediatria, FHEMIG, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brasil.
authors.forename: Luiz Fernando
authors.initials: LF
authors.lastname: Fonseca
authors.forename: Thelma Ribeiro
authors.initials: TR
authors.lastname: Noce
authors.forename: Maria Letícia Gambogi
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Teixeira
authors.forename: Antônio Lúcio
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Teixeira
authors.forename: Marco Aurélio
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Lana-Peixoto
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D017668:Age of Onset; D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002675:Child, Preschool; D017325:Hepatitis B Vaccines / Q000009:adverse effects*; D006801:Humans; D016756:Immunoglobulins, Intravenous / Q000627:therapeutic use; D008297:Male; D008775:Methylprednisolone / Q000627:therapeutic use; D009188:Myelitis, Transverse / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000209:etiology*; D011379:Prognosis; D012141:Respiratory Tract Infections / Q000150:complications*; D014777:Virus Diseases / Q000150:complications*
chemical_list: D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents; D017325:Hepatitis B Vaccines; D016756:Immunoglobulins, Intravenous; D008775:Methylprednisolone