title: Acute Ataxia in Childhood: 11-Year Experience at a Major Pediatric Neurology Referral Center.
abstract: We categorized the causes of acute ataxia in the pediatric population-referred to the Division of Neurology-at a large, urban pediatric medical center. Of the 120 cases identified over the past 11 years, post-infectious cerebellar ataxia was the most commonly diagnosed (59%), followed by drug intoxication, opsoclonus-myoclonus ataxia syndrome, episodic ataxia, acute cerebellitis, cerebellar stroke, ADEM, meningitis, cerebral vein thrombosis, Leigh's disease, Miller-Fisher syndrome, and concussion. Among the patients with post-infectious cerebellar ataxia, 85% were 1-6 years old and all had a history of antecedent viral illness. CSF pleocytosis was present in 40% of patients; all had normal brain MRIs. The majority (91%) recovered within 30 days. We conclude that post-infectious cerebellar ataxia remains the most common cause of acute ataxia in childhood and that it carries a good prognosis. We also differentiate acute post-infectious cerebellar ataxia from other causes with similar presentations.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Division of Child Neurology, Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC, Pittsburgh, PA, USA thakkarkp@upmc.edu.
authors.forename: Kavita
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Thakkar
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Division of Child Neurology, Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC, Pittsburgh, PA, USA Richard King Mellon Foundation Institute for Pediatric Research, Department of Pediatrics, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
authors.forename: Stephen M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Maricich
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Division of Child Neurology, Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
authors.forename: Gulay
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Alper
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D001259:Ataxia / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology* / Q000628:therapy; D001921:Brain / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D002526:Cerebellar Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007239:Infections / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D012189:Retrospective Studies
keywords: acute ataxia; acute cerebellitis; case studies/case series; cerebellar ataxia; postinfectious cerebellar ataxia