• Chizuko Nakamura, Yuji Inaba, Keiko Tsukahara, Mie Mochizuki, Emi Sawanobori, Yozo Nakazawa, and Kouki Aoyama.
• Kofu Municipal Hospital, Kofu, Japan; Department of Pediatrics, Shinshu University School of Medicine, Matsumoto, Japan.
• Brain Dev. 2018 Feb 1; 40 (2): 159-162.

BackgroundCat scratch disease is a common infectious disorder caused by Bartonella henselae that is transmitted primarily by kittens. It typically exhibits a benign and self-limiting course of subacute regional lymphadenopathy and fever lasting two to eight weeks. The most severe complication of cat scratch disease is involvement of the nervous system, such as encephalitis, meningitis, and polyneuritis. Peripheral facial nerve palsy associated with Bartonella infection is rare; few reported pediatric and adult cases exist and the precise pathogenesis is unknown.Case ReportA previously healthy 7-year-old boy presented with fever, cervical lymphadenopathy, and peripheral facial nerve palsy associated with serologically confirmed cat scratch disease. The stapedius muscle reflex was absent on the left side and brain magnetic resonance imaging revealed a mass lesion at the left internal auditory meatus. The patient's symptoms and imaging findings were gradually resolved after the antibiotics and corticosteroids treatment.ConclusionsThe suspected granulomatous lesion was considered to have resulted from the host's immune reaction to Bartonella infection and impaired the facial nerve. This is the first case report providing direct evidence of peripheral facial nerve palsy caused by a suspected granulomatous lesion associated with cat scratch disease and its treatment course.Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V.

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