Publicação
Chronicle of a Foretold Intersection: Mycoplasma pneumoniae and Brown- Séquard Syndrome
| Resumo: | Mycoplasma pneumoniae is a frequent cause of community-acquired respiratory infection in children but can also produce neurological complications. We report a 9-year-old child who developed neck pain followed by right hemiparesis and contralateral sensory loss, compatible with a Brown-Séquard-like presentation. Brain imaging was normal; spinal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed a focal, right-lateral, C2–C4 T2-hyperintense lesion without contrast enhancement, consistent with myelitis. Respiratory multiplex PCR and serology supported recent M. pneumoniae infection. The patient improved substantially after corticosteroids, targeted antibiotics and rehabilitation, with near-complete functional recovery and no recurrence of disease. Serum MOG-IgG and AQP4-IgG were negative, and neuroimaging did not reveal features typical of MOGAD or NMOSD, helping exclude primary demyelinating disease. This case highlights M. pneumoniae myelitis presenting as a Brown-Séquard syndrome in childhood and underscores the importance of a structured differential diagnosis to guide timely and etiology-specific management. |
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| Autores principais: | Faria Tavares, Catarina |
| Outros Autores: | Costa, Mariana; Pinto, Joana; Amaral, Joana; Palavra, Filipe |
| Assunto: | Criança Mycoplasma pneumoniae Pneumonia por Mycoplasma/complicações Síndrome de Brown-Séquard/etiologia Brown-Séquard Syndrome/etiology Child Mycoplasma pneumoniae Pneumonia, Mycoplasma/complications |
| Ano: | 2026 |
| País: | Portugal |
| Tipo de documento: | artigo |
| Tipo de acesso: | unknown |
| Instituição associada: | Sociedade Portuguesa de Neurologia |
| Idioma: | inglês |
| Origem: | SINAPSE |
| Resumo: | Mycoplasma pneumoniae is a frequent cause of community-acquired respiratory infection in children but can also produce neurological complications. We report a 9-year-old child who developed neck pain followed by right hemiparesis and contralateral sensory loss, compatible with a Brown-Séquard-like presentation. Brain imaging was normal; spinal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed a focal, right-lateral, C2–C4 T2-hyperintense lesion without contrast enhancement, consistent with myelitis. Respiratory multiplex PCR and serology supported recent M. pneumoniae infection. The patient improved substantially after corticosteroids, targeted antibiotics and rehabilitation, with near-complete functional recovery and no recurrence of disease. Serum MOG-IgG and AQP4-IgG were negative, and neuroimaging did not reveal features typical of MOGAD or NMOSD, helping exclude primary demyelinating disease. This case highlights M. pneumoniae myelitis presenting as a Brown-Séquard syndrome in childhood and underscores the importance of a structured differential diagnosis to guide timely and etiology-specific management. |
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