Abstract

PARDO, Natalia Andrea et al. Acute Ataxia in the Pediatric Population of the Fundacion Hospital de la Misericordia 2009-2013. Acta Neurol Colomb. [online]. 2014, vol.30, n.3, pp.169-174. ISSN 0120-8748.

Introduction: Acute ataxia (AA) in the pediatric population is usually due to immunologically driven cerebellar dysfunction. In an emergency department setting the rapid identification of less frequent but more severe diseases which require treatment is a priority. Objectives: To describe the etiology of AA in patients seen by Neuropediatrics in the Hospital de la Misericordia Foundation between 2009 and 2013. Material and methods: This is a descriptive case series. Clinical files of patients aged between 1 month and 18 years and with a clear diagnosis of AA were retrospectively reviewed. Statistical analysis was done using SPSS 21, central tendency measures, Kaplan Meir and Log Rank test. Results: We reviewed 48 cases of which 91,67% had a cerebellar origin. The most frequent underlying diagnosis was viral cerebelitis or romboencephalitis, in 25% of cases, followed by acute intoxication and post-infectious syndromes (20,5% each). Regarding the prognosis, 60,4% had a complete recovery and this was faster in post-infectious, toxic and post-traumatic AA. Discussion: Cerebellar dysfunction was the most frequent cause of AA. The main underlying diagnosis were infection or post-infection related ataxia. The presence of a previous infection in 41,67% of cases suggests an important role of immune mediated mechanisms. Conclusions: Most AA cases are secondary to infectious, immunological or toxic cerebellar dysfunction. The prognosis is mostly benign and depends on the cause.

Keywords : Acute ataxia; Acute Cerebellar ataxia; Acute Cerebellitis; Childhood ataxia; Opsoclonus myoclonus síndrome; Rhomboencephalitis.

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