Acute transient cerebellar dysfunction and stuttering following mild closed head injury

A wide range of pathologies can cause cerebellar dysfunction but there have been few reports of transient dysfunction after mild head injury. There are none describing stuttering as an acute symptom after such injuries.

We report a 12-year-old boy who presented with headache, stuttering speech and truncal and bilateral peripheral cerebellar dysfunction after falling prone from his skateboard. Computed tomographic brain imaging showed normal results. All clinical symptoms and signs had resolved within 24 h obviating further investigation. A follow up clinical interview and examination 4 weeks later revealed no recurrence of cerebellar or speech dysfunction.

This is the first reported case of acute transient cerebellar dysfunction and stuttering after mild closed head injury. Neurogenic causes for stuttering are increasingly being recognised.