Acute Cerebellitis or Post-Infectious Cerebellar Ataxia? Approach to Paradigmatic Pediatric Clinical Cases

Abstract

Acute cerebellitis is a rare disease resulting from dysfunction of the cerebellum or its connections, with infectious or inflammatory causes, varied clinical manifestations, and evidence of predominantly cerebellar inflammation on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). It belongs to the spectrum of acute post-infectious cerebellar ataxia, a self-limited disease whose therapeutic approach is individualized. Three clinical cases of cerebellar ataxia in pediatric age are described. In case 1, there is a post-infectious context associated with Epstein-Barr virus. In case 2, there is a possible Mycoplasma pneumoniae post-infectious context, with MRI revealing cerebellar inflammation. Steroids were used in both cases. Case 3 presents severe cerebellar post-infection symptoms associated with varicella zoster virus, and human immunoglobulin was given. Evolution was favorable in all. These cases demonstrate the variable spectrum of post-infectious cerebellar ataxia and the different therapeutic options used, depending on the clinical presentation and individual characteristics of affected children.