Three patients with spasmodic torticollis following VIII nerve lesions (VIII-ST) underwent quantitative assessment of their sternomastoid EMG during vestibular (otolith and semicircular canal) stimulation. The results were compared with a normal control group and with six patients with idiopathic spasmodic torticollis (ST). Backwards tilt of the VIII-ST patients resulted in a marked increase in...

SUMMARY Tardive dystonia (TDt), a cluster of extrapyramidal symptoms that are caused by long-term use of antipsychotic medication, is characterized by difficulty in autonomic movements of skeletal (voluntary) muscles and consequent deformations of the body. TDt is rarely seen among patients taking olanzapine, but olanzapine was the precipitating antipsychotic medication in this 22-year old male...

Background: Congenital muscular torticollis (CMT) is an idiopathic postural deformity evident shortly after birth, typically characterized by lateral flexion of the head to one side and cervical rotation to the opposite side due to unilateral shortening of the sternocleidomastoid muscle. CMT may be accompanied by other neurological or musculoskeletal conditions. Key Points: Infants with CMT are...

SYNOPSIS Thirty-nine patients with the idiopathic blepharospasm-oromandibular dystonia syndrome are described. All presented in adult life, usually in the sixth decade; women were more commonly affected than men. Thirteen had blepharospasm alone, nine had oromandibular dystonia alone, and 17 had both. Torticollis or dystonic writer's cramp preceded the syndrome in two patients. Eight other pati...

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