Different etiologies of acquired torticollis in childhood

• Published in: Child's nervous system 2014-03, Vol.30 (3), p.431-440
• Main Authors: Per, Hüseyin, Canpolat, Mehmet, Tümtürk, Abdülfettah, Gumuş, Hakan, Gokoglu, Abdulkerim, Yikilmaz, Ali, Özmen, Sevgi, Kaçar Bayram, Ayşe, Poyrazoğlu, Hatice Gamze, Kumandas, Sefer, Kurtsoy, Ali
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Arachnoid Cysts - complications; Arachnoid Cysts - surgery; Brain Neoplasms - complications; Brain Neoplasms - pathology; Brain Neoplasms - surgery; Child; Child, Preschool; Fatal Outcome; Female; Hematoma, Epidural, Spinal - complications; Hematoma, Epidural, Spinal - surgery; Hemophilia A - complications; Humans; Infratentorial Neoplasms - complications; Infratentorial Neoplasms - surgery; Intracranial Aneurysm - complications; Intracranial Aneurysm - surgery; Intracranial Hemorrhages - complications; Intracranial Hemorrhages - surgery; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Male; Marfan Syndrome - complications; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Neck Pain - etiology; Nerve Compression Syndromes - complications; Neurosciences; Neurosurgery; Neurosurgical Procedures; Original Paper; Osteoblastoma - complications; Osteoblastoma - pathology; Osteoblastoma - surgery; Psychophysiologic Disorders - complications; Psychophysiologic Disorders - psychology; Psychophysiologic Disorders - therapy; Skull Neoplasms - complications; Skull Neoplasms - pathology; Skull Neoplasms - surgery; Torticollis - etiology; Torticollis - pathology; Torticollis - therapy
• ISSN: 0256-7040; 1433-0350
• DOI: 10.1007/s00381-013-2302-6

Introduction Torticollis can be congenital or may be acquired in childhood. Acquired torticollis occurs because of another problem and usually presents in previously normal children. The causes of acquired torticollis include ligamentous, muscular, osseous, ocular, psychiatric, and neurologic disorders. Objective We performed this study to evaluate the underlying causes of torticollis in childhood. Material and methods Ten children presented with complaints of torticollis between April 2007 and April 2012 were enrolled in this study. The additional findings of physical examination included neck pain, twisted neck, walking disorder, imbalance, and vomiting The identified etiologies of the enrolled children was acute disseminated encephalomyelitis in a 2.5-year-old boy, posterior fossa tumor in a 10-month-old boy, spontaneous spinal epidural hematoma in a 5-year-old hemophiliac boy, cervical osteoblastoma in a 3-year-old boy, arachnoid cyst located at posterior fossa in a 16-month-old boy, aneurysm of the anterior communicating artery in a 6-year-old girl, pontine glioma in a 10-year-old girl, and a psychogenic torticollis in a 7-year-old boy were presented. Conclusion There is a wide differential diagnosis for a patient with torticollis, not just neurological in etiology which should be considered in any patient with acquired torticollis. Moreover, early diagnosis of etiological disease will reduce mortality and morbidity. Therefore, clinicians managing children with torticollis must be vigilant about underlying neurological complications.