Pediatric acute longitudinal extensive transverse myelitis secondary to neuroborreliosis

Abstract

Lyme neuroborreliosis has several different clinical manifestations in children, of which facial nerve palsies, meningitis and radiculopathies are the most common. Transverse myelitis (TM) secondary to Lyme disease has been reported in rare occasions, typically presenting with severe weakness, sensory abnormalities and autonomic dysfunction. We present the case of a 16-year-old male who developed acute left peripheral facial palsy and longitudinal extensive TM secondary to Lyme disease. Remarkably, the patient reported only mild symptoms with severe back pain in the absence of profound signs of myelopathy. We reviewed the medical literature and analyzed the clinical features of pediatric patients with Borrelia burgdorferi-related TM.