Benign acute cerebellitis

ABSTRACT

Two patients are described as examples of a benign acute cerebellar syndrome. Each had abnormal ocular oscillations and truncal ataxia after an upper respiratory infection. One had myoclonus of the head and neck; the other had ataxic dysarthria. Each exhibited a lymphocytic pleocytosis of the cerebrospinal fluid. Historically similar cases have been identified as benign postviral encephalitis. No viral etiology was identified in these two patients or the reference cases. No other underlying pathology proposed for this syndrome has been proven in these two cases. In addition, the physical findings of each patient are most closely associated with isolated cerebellar dysfunction. Therefore, the authors prefer to label these cases, benign acute cerebellitis.