Pediatr Emerg Med J.  2017 Jun;4(1):25-28. 10.22470/pemj.2017.00010.

A 4-year-old girl presenting with facial palsy, found to have increased delta neutrophil index, and diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia with extramedullary infiltration

• Yoon SH
• Kim SH
• Lee MJ
• Lee HJ
• Lyu CJ
• Kim MK

• KMID: 2385912
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.22470/pemj.2017.00010

Abstract

Although Bell's palsy is the most common cause of facial palsy in children, some cases have potentially fatal causes. We report a rare case of isolated facial palsy in a 4-year-old girl whose diagnosis was acute myeloid leukemia with extramedullary infiltration. The findings of laboratory investigations were nonspecific at presentation except that the delta neutrophil index was 34.5% (reference range, 0%-5%). To avoid hasty diagnosis of Bell's palsy in children with isolated facial palsy, vigilant differential diagnosis and workup are recommended.

Keyword

Child; Facial Paralysis; Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Neutrophils

MeSH Terms

Bell Palsy
Child
Child, Preschool*
Diagnosis
Diagnosis, Differential
Facial Paralysis*
Female*
Humans
Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute*
Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Neutrophils*