Child neurology: hereditary spastic paraplegia in children.

S.T. de Bot, MD B.P.C. van de Warrenburg, MD, PhD H.P.H. Kremer, MD, PhD M.A.A.P. Willemsen, MD, PhD Because the medical literature on hereditary spastic paraplegia (HSP) is dominated by descriptions of adult case series, there is less emphasis on the genetic evaluation in suspected pediatric cases of HSP. The differential diagnosis of progressive spastic paraplegia strongly depends on the age at onset, as well as the accompanying clinical features, possible abnormalities on MRI, and family history. In order to develop a rational diagnostic strategy for pediatric HSP cases, we performed a literature search focusing on presenting signs and symptoms, age at onset, and genotype. We present a case of a young boy with a REEP1 (SPG31) mutation.