Diaphragmatic Flutter: An Unusual Sign of Multifarious Etiologic Entities.

Diaphragmatic flutter (DF) is an unusual movement disorder with involuntary and repetitive contractions of the diaphragm with or without other abdominal muscle involvement. The disorder is known to occur across all ages including newborns. The etiology is diverse and so are the therapeutic options. Reaching an etiological diagnosis is considerably delayed. Response to therapy is variable and is governed by the underlying etiology. We describe three children with diaphragmatic flutter. The etiology was diverse with unrelated pathologies such as hypocalcemia, striatal necrosis, and idiopathic. All three children responded promptly and completely to calcium, high dose thiamine and biotin, and clonazepam, respectively. Our case series underscores the importance of clinical identification of such rare movement disorders. It also emphasizes that directed etiological evaluation may lead to successful amelioration of DF which is otherwise considered refractory to therapy.

Subacute sclerosing panencephalitis in a tertiary care centre in post measles vaccination era.

This study was conducted to observe the impact of measles vaccination on the epidemiology of subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (SSPE) in the post measles vaccination era. This is a retrospective study from a tertiary care hospital, covering a ten year period starting a decade after the introduction of the national measles immunization programme in India. We analyzed 458 serologically confirmed SSPE cases. These patients had a high cerebrospinal fluid: serum anti-measles antibody ratio. The male to female ratio in the present study was 4.4:1. The mean age at onset of SSPE was 13.3 years, showing an increase in mean age at onset of SSPE. Clinical and other demographic details, available from 72 in-patients, are discussed in this report. Of these, a history of measles could be elicited in 34 cases. Mean latent period between measles infection and onset of SSPE was 7.8 years. Six patients gave a history of measles vaccination. A sizable percentage (15.5 %) of the patients was > or = 18 years old and considered to have adult onset SSPE. The incidence of SSPE continues to be high and this report highlights the need for further strengthening routine measles immunization coverage.