Acute transverse myelitis in children: clinical analysis of seven cases.

BACKGROUND

The reported annual incidence of acute transverse myelitis (ATM) is 1 per 3.4 million. Because of its rarity, we performed this retrospective clinical investigation.

METHODS

Hospital records of seven Chinese children with ATM were reviewed thoroughly. The diagnosis of ATM were made clinically with or without neuroimages.

RESULTS

Five males and two females were included, of age from three to sixteen years with a mean of 8.6 years. The common presentations included weakness of lower extremities, acute flaccid paralysis, urinary distention, constipation, hyporeflexia, sensory impairment and paresthesia. Slightly elevated protein level in cerebrospinal fluid was noted. Mycoplasma pneumoniae, varicella/zoster virus and Epstein-Barr virus infections were confirmed serologically in one, one, and two patients, respectively. All patients received supportive treatment. The duration required to reach peak severity from onset of illness ranged from six to forty-eight hours. All but one patient recovered, and one to six months were required to achieve maximum improvement.

CONCLUSIONS

Some infectious pathogens may play a role in the pathogenesis of ATM. In general, the prognosis of childhood ATM is good.