Hiyane Masato, Saito Yoshiaki, Saito Takashi, Komaki Hirofumi, Nakagawa Eiji, Sugai Kenji, Sasaki Masayuki, Sato Noriko, Yamamoto Toshiyuki, Imai Yoko
Department of Child Neurology, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry (NCNP), Kodaira, Tokyo, Japan.
Brain Dev. 2012 Oct;34(9):787-91. doi: 10.1016/j.braindev.2012.01.003. Epub 2012 Feb 4.
In this study, we present the case of a 2-year-old boy who exhibited facial and bulbar paralysis since birth, severe dysphagia, signs of oculomotor disturbance, jaw jerks, pyramidal signs on both toes, intellectual disability, and severe gastroesophageal reflux. His blink reflex and auditory/somatosensory evoked potentials suggested abnormalities in the lower brainstem, and magnetic resonance imaging showed a T2 hyperintense area in the pontine tegmentum. These findings combined with the patient's symptoms suggested "dorsal brainstem syndrome" and indicated a possibility of prenatal asphyxia in this patient. Nosologic issues regarding this subgroup of cerebral palsy are discussed here.
