Post-traumatic acute disseminated encephalomyelitis

A 23-year-old black African male fell and bumped his head from a tackle while playing soccer. He subsequently became blind from optic neuritis. An MRI of the brain showed white-matter changes suggestive of acute disseminated encephalomyelitis (ADEM). MR spectroscopy of the brain showed a demyelination pattern. This case report brings to the fore unsettled questions about ADEM, among them being whether it can occur as a post-traumatic event.