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Neurologic Abnormalities in Children Presenting With Diskitis
Moshe Nussinovitch, MD;
Nir Sokolover, MD;
Benjamin Volovitz, MD;
Jacob Amir, MD
Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2002;156:1052-1054.
Background Neurologic impairment is not considered a clinical manifestation of
diskitis in children and has seldom been associated with it in the medical
literature.
Objective To describe neurologic findings and their implications in children with
diskitis.
Study Design Retrospective medical records review of children discharged with a diagnosis
of diskitis between January 1992 and December 2000. The study included children
in whom the diagnosis was based on the presence of clinical findings, laboratory
evidence of an inflammatory process, and findings on imaging studies compatible
with diskitis.
Results Neurologic findings of decreased muscle strength or hyporeflexia in
the lower extremities were found in 7 (41%) of 17 children who met the diagnostic
criteria for diskitis. Five of the 7 underwent magnetic resonance imaging,
2 of whom demonstrated intraspinal inflammatory involvement.
Conclusions Neurologic impairment does not exclude the diagnosis of diskitis and
may be a common manifestation of the disease in children. Nevertheless, when
neurologic findings are present, advanced imaging studies are needed to exclude
intraspinal involvement.
From the Department of Pediatrics "C", Schneider Children's Medical
Center of Israel, Sackler School of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Petach
Tikvah, Israel.
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