Dropped head syndrome and bent spine syndrome: two separate clinical entities or different manifestations of axial myopathy?
- aDepartment of Neurology, Westeinde Ziekenhuis, The Hague, The Netherlands, bDepartment of Neurology, Academic Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Dr WGH Oerlemans, Department of Neurology, Westeinde Ziekenhuis, Lijnbaan 32, PO Box 432, 2501 CK, The Hague, The Netherlands. Telephone 0031 70 3302000; fax 00–31–70–3809459.
- Received 21 July 1997
- Revised 27 January 1998
- Accepted 30 January 1998
Abstract
Four elderly women are reported on with myopathies manifesting with isolated or predominant involvement of the paraspinal musculature. In three, the neck extensors were affected foremost, leading to “dropped head syndrome”. In one, weakness of the thoracic paraspinal muscles caused “bent spine syndrome”. It is suggested that these clinically distinct syndromes are caused by a primary tardive myopathic condition predominantly affecting the entire axial musculature.
