Case Report: Acute Disseminated Encephalomyelitis Presenting with Ptosis and Facial Palsy

Background: Acute disseminated encephalomyelitis (ADEM) is an acute demyelinating infection of the central nervous system (CNS) that is characterized by multifocal white matter involvement often following an infection or vaccination. Case: An 11-year-old girl was hospitalized with complaints of acute abdominal pain for three days followed by ptosis and facial palsy. The child was diagnosed with ADEM after clinical, laboratory, and cranial MRI findings. An initial 5-days therapy with pulsed methylprednisolone, the child showed obvious clinical improvement, the treatment was continued and significant improvement was achieved. We report such case as a rare association with cranial nerves involvements with clinical presentation of ptosis and facial palsy. Conclusions: ADEM is an inflammatory demyelinating condition that bears a clinical and pathological resemblance with MS. MRI is the premier modality of choice in its diagnosis.