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Oculopalatal tremor: variations on a theme by Guillain and Mollaret
Liuna Jang1, François-Xavier Borruat
1Department of Ophthalmology, University of Lausanne, Jules Gonin Eye Hospital, Fondation Asile des Aveugles, Lausanne, Switzerland.
Background:
Oculopalatal tremor (OPT) is a delayed complication of a brainstem lesion, characterized by involuntary contractions of the soft palate associated with a synchronized ocular pendular nystagmus. MRI reveals inferior olivary nucleus hypersignal/hypertrophy (IONH). Our objective was to refine the clinical profile of patients with OPT and to report a few oddities in both presentation and evolution.
Methods:
We performed a retrospective study of patients diagnosed with OPT and a literature search.
Results:
From our database, we retrieved 5 men and 3 women with a diagnosis of OPT. Eighty-two patients with OPT were retrieved from the literature and were compiled with our series. The average age was 54 years and there was a male predominance. Brainstem vascular lesion was the most common etiology (80%). Prominent vertical pendular nystagmus was found in 90%. Dissociated nystagmus was mostly associated to unilateral contralateral IONH on MRI, while bilateral symmetrical nystagmus was due to a bilateral IONH in the majority of cases. Three oddities were found amongst our 8 patients: prominent nystagmus ipsilateral to IONH; disappearance of IONH on MRI despite persisting nystagmus, and asymptomatic OPT.
Conclusion:
The clinical profile of OPT is rather stereotyped. Rarely do patients deviate from the classical description of OPT.