1978 Volume 81 Issue 1 Pages 17-25
Three cases of acute cerebellar ataxia in children were reported and reviewed from the otoneurological point of view.
Case t: A 6-year-old boy, several days after the development of skin eruption of chicken pox, complained of an occipital headache with a low-grade fever, followed by a staggering gait and incoordination of the arms. Otoneurological examination showed him to have an ataxic gait, an intention tremor, a bradylalia, dysmetric eye movement, an ataxic pursuit pattern for the eye tracking test (ETT). However, the results of the optokinetic nystagmus pattern (OKP) and rotation tests were within normal limits. These data suggest that the lesion dispersed diffusely within the cerebellum.
Case 2: A 10-year-old boy, several days after an upper respiratory infection, complained of epigastralgia, an occipital headache and a staggering gait. Otoneurological examination showed him to have an ataxic gait, a dysdiadochokinesia of his left hand and upward vertical positional and positioning nystagmus and backward stepping. However, the results of OKP, rotational and ET tests were within normal limits. These data suggest that the lesion was localized in the vermis of the cerebellum.
Case 3: A 3-year-old girl, 6 days after the development of skin eruptin of chicken pox, complained of a staggering gait and incoordination of the arms. Otoneurological examination showed her to have an intention tremor, wide-based back- and forward-stepping and an ataxic gait. However, neither nystagmus nor abnormal eye movement were observed and the results of optokinetic nystagmus and rotational tests were within normal limits. These data suggest that the lesion was within the cerebellum.
The clinical courses of the three cases were very good, and they recovered completely within a few weeks.
In conclusion we stress that the responsible lesion of acute "cerebellar" ataxia was just within the "cerebellum", and the participation of the brain stem could be excluded.
