Spastic tetraparesis as a sequela of bacterial meningitis

The aim of this study is to demonstrate the incidence of spastic tetraparesis (ST) in meningitis patients in the paediatric ICU, together with the associated variables, and establish comparisons with the existing literature. We reviewed the medical records of patients who presented symptoms of meningitis and required hospital treatment in the Paediatric ICU at the Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre, between January 1985 and June 2001. In addition to the diagnosis of meningitis and the incidence of ST as a complication, we also examined the aetiological agent, sex, age at the moment of hospital admittance, length of time spent in hospital and treatment given in each case. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION. An incidence of 15.1% was found for cerebral palsy in the 112 cases of bacterial meningitis that were followed up clinically. In the patients with ST, the time spent in hospital was longer, and the frequency of seizures, intracranial hypertension and the protein concentration levels in CSF were higher (p