[Acute cerebellar ataxia and facial palsy after DPT immunization]

Since the initial report of Beyers & Moll (1948), numerous cases of seizures and encephalopathy after pertussis immunization or DPT immunization have been reported. However, acute cerebellar ataxia and/or facial palsy after DPT immunization is unusual, although there have been several reports from Japan. We report a 1-year-11-month-old girl with acute cerebellar ataxia and facial palsy after DPT immunization. On admission, she was alert. She was active and had a 6-day history of an ataxic gait and asymmetric facial movement which had begun 5 hours after DPT immunization. Neurological examination revealed an ataxic gait, horizontal nystagmus and right facial palsy. A CT scan showed low density on the right side of the pons with marked contrast enhancement. A MRI scan indicated the involvement of not only the right side of the pons, but also of the bilateral cerebellar peduncles. The child did well subsequently and was neurologically normal 20 days after the initial symptoms. To our knowledge, the present case is probably the first reported one of acute cerebellar ataxia after DPT immunization with CT and/or MRI correlation.