MYELITIS - A RARE PRESENTATION OF MUMPS

We report a rare case of mumps myelitis in which parotid swelling appe ared 3 days after the symptoms of myelitis. A 10-year-old boy presente d with acute paraplegia of grade I-II on MRC (Medical Research Council ) scale and retention of urine with normal sensations. Central motor c onduction to tibialis anterior (CMCT-TA) on the right side was 32 ms a nd 24 ms on the left side. Spinal MRI revealed hyperintense signal cha nges extending from C3 to T12. After 5 days of methylprednisolone ther apy, there was marked improvement in weakness, micturition normalized and CMCT-TA also returned to normal. MRI repealed after 1 month was al so normal. This response seems to be due to antiedema and to the antii nflammatory effect of methylprednisolone, because of a temporal relati onship between MPS and clinical improvement. However, the possibility of natural recovery cannot be ruled out.