emDocs - March 9, 2015 - By Manpreet Singh
"Introduction
Ataxia: Incoordination of volitional movement. It represents a wide range of overlapping symptoms. The differential diagnosis is wide and includes benign as well as life-threatening diseases.
The effects of cerebellar disease involve
- Loss of acceleration and deceleration movement
- Clumsiness managing the rate, range, and force of movement
Pearls
- Complaints of dizziness, vertigo, weakness, nausea, vomiting, and falling are common.
- Ataxia is different than pure alterations in gait and must be understood.
- Central causes of ataxia are most concerning and include multiple sclerosis, vertebrobasilar insufficiency, acoustic neuromas, infections, and intoxications.
- Posterior circulation strokes can be particularly debilitating and carry a mortality rate of 7-20% even despite intervention
- The misdiagnosis of posterior fossa infarcts in the Emergency Department is frequent.
- Non-cerebellar, supratentorial lesions are capable of causing isolated motor ataxia"
http://www.emdocs.net/acute-ataxia-ed-highlights/