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Different etiologies of acquired torticollis in childhood

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Abstract

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.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Medical Faculty, Department of Pediatrics, Division of Pediatric Neurology, Erciyes University, Talas, Kayseri, Turkey

    Hüseyin Per, Mehmet Canpolat, Hakan Gumuş, Ayşe Kaçar Bayram, Hatice Gamze Poyrazoğlu & Sefer Kumandas

  2. Medical Faculty, Department of Neurosurgery, Erciyes University, Kayseri, Turkey

    Abdülfettah Tümtürk, Abdulkerim Gokoglu & Ali Kurtsoy

  3. Medical Faculty, Department of Pediatric Radiology, Erciyes University, Kayseri, Turkey

    Ali Yikilmaz

  4. Medical Faculty, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Erciyes University, Kayseri, Turkey

    Sevgi Özmen

Authors
  1. Hüseyin Per
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  2. Mehmet Canpolat
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  3. Abdülfettah Tümtürk
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  11. Ali Kurtsoy
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Correspondence to Hüseyin Per or Mehmet Canpolat.

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Per, H., Canpolat, M., Tümtürk, A. et al. Different etiologies of acquired torticollis in childhood. Childs Nerv Syst 30, 431–440 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00381-013-2302-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00381-013-2302-6

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