Pediatric Functional Neurological Disorder: Demographic and Clinical Factors Impacting Care

This is a multicenter retrospective EMR-based chart review of 88 patients aged 3–21 years admitted for evaluation of functional neurologic disorder (FND). We sought to establish characteristics associated with FND, calculate incidence of abnormal neurodiagnostic findings, and determine features associated with variability in workup and treatment. FND patients were 65% female, 40% White, 33% Hispanic, and 88% primarily English speaking with median 13.9 years. We detected variability in management by age, ethnicity, psychiatric comorbidity, and hospital site. Our findings suggest limited utility to CTs in this setting (100% normal) and that workup can be safely informed by physical exam, which predicted abnormal MRI and LP results. We favor screening for adverse childhood experiences in FND patients. Hospitalization may be a rare opportunity for psychiatry contact.