case question
John Zeffer
Description
Collection
Title:
case question
Creator:
John Zeffer
Date:
2/12/2002
Text:
The mother of three very young children presented herself to our clinic
where all three children have bilateral drop-foot. She reports that they had
all been vaccinated for polio and yet seem to have polio-like symptoms
including a fever when in infancy. The likelihood of the exact
manifestations in all three children is remarkable and I am very hesitant to
id this diagnosis as polio. (Especially since the WHO has eliminated chance
of new cases.) There are no other consistent problems that would have caused
the exact disability in all three children. They have knee stability, weak
plantar flexors of the ankle, no dorsiflexors including toe extensors.
Sensation normal. No clonus. No deformity or leg length discrepancies. No
one else in the mother’s historical family had this problem. All three are
going into dorsi-assist AFOs. Does any one have an idea, clue, or similar
situation? Agent Orange comes to mind as this mother would be about 2nd
generation removed from exposure but usually this would present with
deformity in her offspring. I appreciate any thoughts from the list.
John Zeffer
American Red Cross
Kompong Speu Rehabilitation Center
Cambodia
where all three children have bilateral drop-foot. She reports that they had
all been vaccinated for polio and yet seem to have polio-like symptoms
including a fever when in infancy. The likelihood of the exact
manifestations in all three children is remarkable and I am very hesitant to
id this diagnosis as polio. (Especially since the WHO has eliminated chance
of new cases.) There are no other consistent problems that would have caused
the exact disability in all three children. They have knee stability, weak
plantar flexors of the ankle, no dorsiflexors including toe extensors.
Sensation normal. No clonus. No deformity or leg length discrepancies. No
one else in the mother’s historical family had this problem. All three are
going into dorsi-assist AFOs. Does any one have an idea, clue, or similar
situation? Agent Orange comes to mind as this mother would be about 2nd
generation removed from exposure but usually this would present with
deformity in her offspring. I appreciate any thoughts from the list.
John Zeffer
American Red Cross
Kompong Speu Rehabilitation Center
Cambodia
Citation
John Zeffer, “case question,” Digital Resource Foundation for Orthotics and Prosthetics, accessed November 6, 2024, https://library.drfop.org/items/show/218033.
