Hemiplejía alternante de la infancia: Presentación de un caso y revisión de la bibliografía

Abstract

Alternating hemiplegia of childhood is an entity of uncertain etiology, with an incidence of about one case per million. This paroxysmal disease with progressive course is characterized by repeated episodes of hemiplegia that alternates its location and that may last from a few minutes to several days. These episodes are usually aborted during sleep. Paroxysmal eye movements, cognitive impairment and autonomic disorders, can also be seen. Due to its progressive course and bad prognosis, it turns out to be important for the generalist physician to be aware of this entity, thus facilitating an early diagnosis and avoiding empiric pharmacologic ineffective treatments. We present the case of a ten year-old girl with alternating hemiplegia of childhood, show imaging of this disease and make a brief review of the literature.