Superficial bedside brain biopsy can be a safe and practical approach to confirm a rare form of prion disease in cerebellar ataxia: A case study

- Cerebellar ataxia can be caused by Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (Brownell-Oppenheimer variant).
- Prion disease can be confirmed by performing a bedside brain biopsy using simple instruments.
- Superficial brain biopsies are safe and can prevent accidental prion transmission.