brainstem encephalitis
rhombencephalitis

A 3-year-old child presented with ataxia and brainstem encephalitis following a culture-positive scalp boil.

The level of consciousness is normally unaffected in Guillain-Barré syndrome, but the Bickerstaff brainstem encephalitis subtype may feature drowsiness, sleepiness, or coma.

British neurologist Edwin Bickerstaff, based in Birmingham, described the brainstem encephalitis type in 1951 with Philip Cloake, and made further contributions with another paper in 1957.

Bickerstaff's brainstem encephalitis, for instance, is part of the group of conditions now regarded as forms of Miller Fisher syndrome (anti-GQ1b antibody syndrome), as well as a related condition labelled "acute ataxic hypersomnolence" where coordination problems and drowsiness are present but no muscle weakness can be detected.

These severe and often fatal symptoms include meningitis, rhombencephalitis, and encephalitis.

Rhombencephalitis, cranial nerve abnormalities, myelitis, optic neuritis, polyradiculitis, and seizures are less common.