Anterior horn cell disease seen in South India

Bulbo-pontine paralysis with deafness: the Vialetto-Van Laere syndrome

A Caucasian girl developed slowly progressive sensory neural deafness and bulbar and spinal muscle weakness typical of the Vialetto-Van Laere syndrome. As the condition progressed the major disabilities became dysphagia, respiratory muscle weakness and postural hypotension. Treatment with gastrostomy feedings, oxygen and fludrocortisone acetate produced worthwhile functional improvement.

Juvenile-onset bulbospinal muscular atrophy with deafness: Vialetta-van Laere syndrome or Madras-type motor neuron disease?

A girl with rapid-onset, bulbospinal muscular atrophy and deafness is described. The patient's mother and brother showed EMG features consistent with subclinical involvement. T is bulbospinal form of spinal muscular atrophy associated with deafness described by Vialetto and van Laere closely resembles the Madras type of motor neuron disease, also associated with deafness, described by Jagganathan and colleagues.

Ponto-bulbar palsy with deafness (Brown-Vialetto-Van Laere syndrome)

The authors describe the clinical and electrophysiological features in 2 cases of ponto-bulbar palsy with deafness, and the clinical course and post-mortem findings in a sibling of one of these, who died in infancy, and who appears to have suffered from the same disease. The cases are compared with 17 previously published cases, and the disease is discussed in relation to other progressive neurological diseases of childhood.

Plasma lactate in anterior horn cell disease

This communication reports biochemical findings in 7 patients with anterior horn cell disease. The diagnosis was confirmed by evidence of denervation in the EMG and mukle biopsy with normal motor conduction velocities. In 4 of these patients, upper extremities were involved in a symmetrical fashion. In 1, the upper and lower extremities were involved in a symmetrical fashion. In the other 2, one upper or lower extremity were respectively involved in isolation. Pyramidal tract signs were evident in 2 patients of this group. Seventh cranial nerve and 12th cranial nerve involvement were seen in 2 patients. None of the patients manifested 8th cranial nerve dysfunction. All of these 7 patients showed elevation of raised fasting plasma lactate, with normal plasma citrate and plasma pyruvate values. This is in contrast to the altered citrate and pyruvate levels described by other workers in other cases of anterior horn cell disease. The significant biochemical relationship are discussed.