[Therapeutic outcome of spasmodic torticollis]

We investigated 117 patients with spasmodic torticollis who had visited us to seek for appropriate treatment in these 14 years. They were 71 men and 46 women, aged 44 +/- 14 (mean +/- SD) years, and suffered from this disorder during 4 +/- 5 years, maximum 26 years. Involuntary abnormal head positions, not only torticollis but also laterocollis and antero- or retrocollis, were contained in this study. Most of them were torticollis due to idiopathic focal dystonia. One or more courses of alcoholization therapy was accomplished in 82 patients who wished to be done. This therapy course consisted of about ten times totally of 99% ethanol injection to the motor point of two most hypertonic neck muscles, either side of the sternocleidomastoideus and the opposite side of the splenius in most cases, repeated every 2 or 3 weeks. One patient received as many as 98 times of this injection and resolved completely. Training to reinforce antagonistic muscles was also instructed. Twenty-one patients (26%) were resolved completely after this treatment. Fifty-four patients (66%) were ameliorated and satisfied partially, but 18 of them relapsed in 1 to 4 years after the treatment and were obliged to repeat one more course of this treatment. On the other hand, in five patients their torticollis improved under certain drug therapy alone. Sixteen patients (14%) gave up to continue the treatment within two months, and 14 patients (12%) dropped out before starting the therapy. This alcoholization therapy resulted in amelioration of torticollis in about 90% of the patients with a long effective period. Nevertheless, this alcohol injection is painful, and requires 5 to 6 months to be completed. In 2 patients who had already received many times of this injection, sudden hoarseness occurred one day immediately after the alcohol injection to the sternocleidomastoideus. This complication was presumably brought about by the unexpected infiltration of alcohol to the laryngeal area, located posterior to that muscle. They recovered in two months, but careful attention should be paid to the adverse effects. If botulinum toxin be available also in our country, we will be able to have another choice of therapy and the treatment of this disorder will become easier.