Stumbling and rumbling

This week I admitted another really interesting neurology case. Pierre, a 3 year-old boy, had pneumonia diagnosed a few days before and then came to the hospital with something called a “post-infectious” process. In other words, his body’s immune system went a little haywire after the infection and started attacking his nervous system.

The part of his brain that was affected was his cerebellum and he was unable to walk. He had normal sensation and strength, but when he tried to put one foot in front of the other, he looked like a drunken tot.

After just a few days of observation, Pierre was back on his feet and his case of “Acute Cerebellar Ataxia” was behind him.

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3 Responses to “Stumbling and rumbling”

  1. Tim Z Falconer Says:

    Just observation? Did you treat him?

  2. Yousef Y Turshani Says:

    do you remember seeing a case of this at San Fran General? I think you were chief resident at the time and it was about a 3yr old, neurology came over from UCSF and helped us make the diagnosis. Still remember thinking about the condition, in the words of Bill Murray in Royal Tennanbaums “how interesting, how bizarre!”

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CqOgNPaPe6w

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