All issues > Volume 39(4); 1996

Case Report

J Korean Pediatr Soc. 1996;39(4):572-576. Published online April 15, 1996.

A Case of Acute Viral Myositis

Jong-Hoon JH Kwak¹, Kyung-Yil KY Lee¹, Ji-Whan JW Han¹, Sung-Soo SS Hwang¹, Jae-Kyun JK Huh¹, Kyong-Su KS Lee¹

¹Department of Pediatrics, Catholic University Medical College, Seoul, Korea

Abstract

Diffuse myalgia is common in transient systemic viral infections but overt myositis, with weakness and signs of muscle inflammation, rarely accompanies viral infection in chidren. We describe a 8-year-old boy with severe myalgia and tenderness in both lower extremities, whose unusual skeletal muscle uptake on Technetium-methylene diphosphate bone scan helped to diagnosis of myositis. Clinical course, muscle-derived enzyme studies(AST, ALT, LD, CK), electromyogram findings, histopathologic findings obtained from left gastrocnemius muscle biopsy and serologic studies for enteroviral antibodies (enterovirus type 71 and Coxsackie B4 neutralization antibody titer 1:128 respectively) were all compatible with acute viral myositis.

Keywords :Viral myositis, Technetium-methylene diphosphate bone scan, Enteroviral infection