Child neurology: benign nocturnal alternating hemiplegia of childhood.

Laetitia J.J.C. WagenerSchimmel, MD Joost Nicolai, MD, PhD Alternating hemiplegia of childhood (AHC) is a disorder of recurrent hemiplegia beginning before age 18 months and is associated with dystonia, nystagmus, and progressive cognitive and motor impairment. This disorder was first recognized by Verret and Steele1 in 1971. Benign nocturnal alternating hemiplegia of childhood, which differs from AHC by its absence of decline in neurologic or cognitive impairment, is very rare or possibly only rarely recognized. We describe 2 children diagnosed with this syndrome and review the literature published. In contrast to the severe prognosis of the much more known syndrome of AHC,1,2 the prognosis of benign nocturnal alternating hemiplegia of childhood is excellent.