 |
|
Focal Limb Dystonia in a Patient With a Cerebellar Mass
Fernando Alarcón, MD;
Eduardo Tolosa, MD;
Esteban Muñoz, MD
Arch Neurol. 2001;58:1125-1127.
Background Focal dystonia of acute onset is indicative of a structural lesion in
the nervous system. Cerebellar lesions have rarely been associated with dystonia.
Case Description A 42-year-old woman was admitted to the neurology ward because of fever,
confusion, and gait unsteadiness. She was diagnosed as having tuberculous
meningitis, and, after a few days of antituberculous treatment, she developed
prominent dystonia of the left upper limb. Cranial nuclear magnetic resonance
imaging showed an isolated lesion compatible with a tuberculoma in the left
cerebellar hemisphere. Both the limb dystonia and the tuberculoma resolved
with maintained antituberculous treatment.
Conclusions In the patient described, the presence of upper-limb dystonia ipsilateral
to a focal cerebellar lesion and the resolution of the dystonia and the mass
lesion following treatment suggest that the cerebellum or its connections
to the thalamus and/or basal ganglia could be involved in the pathophysiology
of the dystonia.
From the Department of Neurology, Eugenio Espejo Hospital, Quito, Ecuador
(Dr Alarcón), and Neurology Service, Institute Clínic Malaltias
del Sistema Nervós, Hospital Clínic Universitari, Universitat
de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain (Drs Tolosa and Muñoz).
Corresponding author and reprints: Fernando Alarcón, MD, Department
of Neurology, Eugenio Espejo Hospital, PO Box 17-07-9515, Quito, Ecuador (e-mail: falarcon{at}ramt.com).
RELATED ARTICLE
Archives of Neurology Reader's Choice: Continuing Medical Education
Arch Neurol. 2001;58(7):1172-1174.
FULL TEXT
THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES
Pathophysiology of Pediatric Movement Disorders
Sanger
J Child Neurol 2003;18:S9-S24.
ABSTRACT
|
