ACUTE MOTOR AXONAL NEUROPATHY IN CHILDHOOD - CLINICAL AND MRI FINDINGS

Clinical and radiologic findings in a child with acute motor axonal ne uropathy are reported. A 16-year-old boy with mild cerebral palsy pres ented 1 week after an upper respiratory tract infection with low back pain, ascending weakness, and areflexia. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) exa mination revealed albuminocytological dissociation. Serial electromyog rams (EMGs) with nerve conduction velocity (NCV) studies revealed find ings of motor axonal neuropathy. Spine MRI revealed enhancement of the cauda equina. Acute motor axonal neuropathy (AMAN) may be an underrec ognized cause of acute flaccid paralysis, and to our knowledge no pedi atric cases have been reported in the United States. MRI findings have not been reported previously. (C) 1997 by Elsevier Science Inc.