Bickerstaff brainstem encephalitis: A case report

Abstract

Bickerstaff brainstem encephalitis (BBE) is a rare inflammatory, demyelinating disease that generally has a good prognosis. It's characterized by an acute dysfunction of brainstem occurring few days after an infection. We report the case of an 11-year-old male child with a history of cold, presented with ataxia in whom a Bickerstaff encephalitis was attested through brain MRI and who has fully recovered after treatment. The main symptoms are ataxia, ophthalmoplegia, and altered consciousness. CSF analysis and serum antiganglioside antibodies are also very suggestive of the diagnosis that can be suspected clinically and confirmed on brain MRI. The interest of this observation lies in its rarity and on the rapid and spectacular clinical improvement under treatment.

Keywords

• Bickerstaff brainstem encephalitis
• Postinfectious
• MRI