ACUTE CEREBELLAR-ATAXIA IN CHILDREN

Acute cerebellar ataxia is a benign syndrome usually occurring after a n acute febrile disease. In a few cases neuroradiological investigatio ns reveal cerebellar alterations. Clinical and neuroradiological invol vement of the brain stem has rarely been reported in the literature. W e present five cases of acute cerebellar ataxia. In two cases the cere bellar symptomatology was associated with neurological signs of brain stem involvement. CT scans did not show any pathologic findings in thr ee patients. MRI disclosed cerebellar or brain stem alterations in all the patients. Clinical and neuroradiological findings allow different iation of this pathologic entity from other demyelinating or dysmyelin ating diseases. The value of MRI in detection and localization of the lesions and in following their evolution is emphasized.