Spinocerebellar degeneration

Forty cases with several forms of spinocerebellar degenerations were studied. The diagnosis was based on an appropriate clinical picture, radiological investigation and family history. There are multiple variants of spinocerebellar degeneration and classification of these diseases remains unsatisfactory and therefore controversial. We classified cases into three main groups. The numbers of cases in each of these groups were as follows: cerebellar group = 16 cases, cerebellar plus group = 9 cases, spinal group = 15 cases. The age, age of onset, mode of inheritance, clinical pictures and cerebrospinal fluid analysis of these cases were discussed. Results of various radiological investigations of these cases were reviewed. From our observations we can conclude that the morphologic changes seen in radiological investigations in our cases were more varied than the observed clinical syndromes. The cause of these syndromes remains unknown and there is no established treatment for spinocerebellar degeneration. We can only offer symptomatic treatment, physiotherapy and genetic counselling for this group of patients.