Unilateral foot drop as an initial presentation of a brain tumor in a child

Abstract

Foot drop is commonly caused by compromise of the peripheral nervous system. Unilateral foot drop as the first sign of a parasagittal brain tumor has been reported in the adult literature but never previously in the pediatric population. We report a child with a right parietal rhabdomyosarcoma in which foot drop was the only abnormal neurologic finding at initial presentation. Localization to the central nervous system should be included in children presenting with foot drop.

Keywords: brain tumor; foot drop; rhabdomyosarcoma.