title: Coincidence of recurrent hemiparesis and detection of ALL in a 4-year-old girl: one or two diseases?
abstract: Stroke like symptoms in children such as hemiparesis are often associated with infection, cranial trauma, cardiac anomalies or sickle cell disease. In childhood leukemia, stroke like symptoms at presentation are rare and normally caused by cerebral bleedings. Here we report a patient who presented with classical stroke symptoms and hemiparesis prior to the diagnosis of acute lymphoblastic leukemia without proven CNS infiltration by leukemic cells. In general, acute leukemia or cerebral lymphoma do not lead to extensive defects of brain tissue. This unusual case suggests that acute lymphoblastic leukemia may present with stroke like CNS symptoms including hemiparesis.
authors.affiliation: Universitätsklinik für Kinder- und Jugendmedizin, University of Ulm, Germany.
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Ege
authors.forename: L H
authors.initials: LH
authors.lastname: Meyer
authors.forename: K-M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Debatin
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Stahnke
mesh_terms: D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001284:Atrophy; D001921:Brain / Q000473:pathology; D002543:Cerebral Hemorrhage / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis; D002552:Cerebral Ventricles / Q000473:pathology; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003399:Craniotomy; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D009460:Neurologic Examination; D009474:Neurons / Q000473:pathology; D010291:Paresis / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis*; D054198:Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy; D012008:Recurrence; D012074:Remission Induction; D020521:Stroke / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis*; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed