Flaccid paraplegia of organophosphate-induced delayed polyneuropathy leading to early spastic paraplegia. Case report

Abstract

Organophosphate insecticides have been widely used for pest control. They have been readily used as a suicidal agent in developing countries. This paper reports the case of a middle aged male patient with acute organophosphate compound poisoning who in turn had acute cholinergic crisis and was put on ventilator. Within one week, he developed flaccid areflexic paraplegia with preserved sensation. Two weeks later, he had spasticity in both lower limbs with hyperreflexia. The reported case demonstrates the myelopathic presentation of organophosphate-induced delayed polyneuropathy.

Keywords

• organophosphate
• poisoning
• flaccid
• spastic
• paraplegia
• polyneuropathy