Abstract
This paper presents a case of Bickerstaff ’s brainstem encephalitis. It was a 12 years old girl, who was attended in the Erasmo Meoz, University Hospital at the city of Cucuta. The patient presented ophtalmoplegia, ataxia and areflexia, after an upper respiratory tract infection. The evolution of the patient was satisfactory.
A revision of the case and of the syndromes associated with antiganglioside antibodies was made. It is evident that it is necessary to apply in our country techniques to determine these antibodies, fact which would help to diagnosis and treatment our patients.
References
Bickerstaff ER, Cloake PCP. Mesencephalitis and rhombencephalitis. Br Med J 1951; 2:77-81.
Fisher MC. An unusual variant of acute idiopathic polyneuritis (syndrome of ophthalmoplegia, ataxia and areflexia). N Eng J Med 1956; 255:57-65.
Odaka M, Auki N, Hirata K. Anti-GQ1b IgG antibody syndrome: clinical and immunological range. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 2001; 70:50-5.
Chiba A, Kusonoki S, Shimizu T, Kanazawa I. Serum IgG antibody to ganglioside GQ1b is a possible marker of Miller-Fisher syndrome. Ann Neurol 1992;31:677-9.
Yuki N, Sato S, Tsuji S, Hozumi I, Miyatake T. An immunologic abnormality common to Bickerstaff ’s brainstem encephalitis and Fisher’s syndrome. J Neurol Sci 1993; 118:63-7.
Odaka M, Yuki N, Yamada M, Koga M, Takemi T, Hirata K, Kuwabara S. Bickerstaff ’s brainstem encephalitis: clinical features of 62 cases and a subgroup associated with Guillain-Barré syndrome. Brain 2003; 126:2279-90.
Weidauer S, Ziemann U, Thomalske C, Gaa, J, Lanfermann J, Zanella FE. Vasogenic edema in Bickerstaff ’s brainstem encephalitis. A serial MRI study. Neurology 2003; 61:836-8.
García-García J, Calleja S, Fernández JM, Lahoz CH. Romboencefalitis de Bickerstaff. Neurología 2005; 20:366-9.
Lee JY, Park KC, Lee IH, Park CI, Lee MS, Lee SS. Bickerstaff ’s brain stem encephalitis after a motor vehicle crash. J Trauma 2004; 56:179-81.
Overell JR and Willison HJ. Recent developments in Miller Fisher syndrome and related disorders. Curr Opin Neurol 2005; 18:562-6.
Chiba A, Kusunoki S, Obata H, Machinami R, Kanazawa I. Ganglioside composition of the human cranial nerves with especial reference to pathophysiology of Miller Fisher syndrome. Brain Res 1997; 745:32-6.
Paparounas K. Anti-GQ1b ganglioside antibody in peripheral nervous system disorders. Pathophysiologic role and clinical relevance. Arch Neurol 2004:61:1013-6.
Jacobs BC, O’Hanlon GM, Bullens RWM, Veitch J, Plomp JJ, Willison HJ. Immunoglobulins inhibit pathophysiological effects of anti-GQ1b-positive sera at motor nerve terminals through inhibition of antibody binding. Brain 2003, 126, 2220-34.
Winer JB. Bickerstaff ’s encephalitis and the Miller Fisher syndrome. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 2001; 71:433-5.
Kuntzer T, Antoine JC, Steck AJ. Clinical features and pathophysiological basis of neuropathies (ganglionopathies). Muscle Nerve 2004; 30:255-68.
Willison HJ, Yuki N. Peripheral neuropathies and anti-glycolipid antibodies. Brain 2002, 125, 2591-2625.
Matsuo M, Odaka M, Koga M, Tsuchiya K, Hamasaki Y, Yuki N. Bickerstaff ’s brainstem encephalitis associated with IgM antibodies to GM1b and GalNAc- GD1a. J Neurol Sci 2004; 225-8.
Fox JR, Kasner SE, Galetta SL, Chalela JA. Treatment of Bickerstaff ’s brainstem encephalitis with immune globulin. J Neurol Sci 2000; 178:88-90.
Koga M, Takahashi M, Masuda M, Hirata K, Yuki N. Campylobacter gene polymorphism as a determinant of clinical features of Guillain-Barré syndrome. Neurology 2006; 65:1376-81.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.