Numb chin syndrome as initial manifestation in a child with acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

Numb chin syndrome (NCS) describes the affection of the inferior alveolar nerve and is a purely sensory neuropathy. Its symptoms include numbness of the skin of the chin, the lip and the gingival mucosa. Mostly seen in adults, it has rarely been described in children. We report on an 11-year-old male who presented with NCS as initial manifestation of acute lymphoblastic leukemia of B-cell type. (c) 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc.