Trans-cranial Doppler Flow Characteristics of a Child with Paroxysmal Sympathetic Hyper-activity: A Preliminary Report.

BACKGROUND

Paroxysmal sympathetic hyper-activity (PSH) is a syndrome characterized by excessive activity of the sympathetic nervous system. The cerebrovascular flow dynamics during the episodes of paroxysmal hyper-activity has also not been clearly examined in the literature.

CASE HISTORY: A 12-year-old boy with operated exophytic brain stem pilocytic astrocytoma was diagnosed with paroxysmal sympathetic hyper-activity. The trans-cranial Doppler flow characteristics of the bilateral middle cerebral artery and anterior cerebral artery are described in this report.

CONCLUSION

The diagnosis of PSH requires an index of suspicion on the part of the clinician. The episodes of sympathetic hyper-activity are associated with significant changes in physiologic parameters in the patients including changes in cerebrovascular flow dynamics.