Opsoclonus Myoclonus Syndrome in Children

Speaker: Dr Mark Gorman, MD
When: Saturday, May 10, 2025
Time: 09:00 AM Eastern Time ( US/ Canada )

About Topic:
Opsoclonus myoclonus ataxia syndrome is a rare neuro-immunological disorder affecting the cerebellum. In children, the average age of onset is 18 to 24 months, and 50-60% of patients have a neuroblastoma as part of a paraneoplastic process. Due to its rarity, severity and lack of a definitive biomarker, numerous challenges exist, including delayed diagnosis, variation in treatment approaches, and historically poor cognitive and behavioral outcomes. However, significant progress has been made in the past two decades which has led to better differentiation from mimicking conditions such as acute cerebellar ataxia, use of multiagent immunosuppression, and improved outcomes, but the search for a biomarker continues. In this talk, Dr. Gorman will review this progress, making it applicable to the practising clinician and will introduce current research efforts.

Learning Objectives :

1. Differentiate opsoclonus myoclonus ataxia syndrome from mimicking conditions, particularly acute cerebellar ataxia
2. Know the most sensitive tests to detect neuroblastoma in the setting of opsoclonus myoclonus ataxia syndrome
3. Develop a treatment strategy for opsoclonus myoclonus ataxia syndrome
4. Appreciate the historically poor cognitive and behavioral outcomes in opsoclonus myoclonus ataxia syndrome and how newer treatment approaches are improving them
5. Understand the challenges in finding a biomarker for opsoclonus myoclonus ataxia syndrome and what current approaches are being taken