Belly Dancer's Dyskinesia: A Glimpse of a Rare Phenomenon

Belly dancer's dyskinesia (BDD) is an extremely rare manifestation consisting of involuntary and repetitive rhythmic movements of the abdominal wall. These movements cannot be voluntarily suppressed but may be influenced by respiratory maneuvers. Investigations such as spinal cord and abdominal imaging usually fail to reveal any local abnormalities to explain the movement disorder. A 23-year-old male presented with sudden onset of undulating movements of the abdominal wall for the last two months after he took domperidone. There was no associated pain or effect of respiration. The movements used to subside during sleep. His radiological and hematological evaluations were inconclusive. The movements, however, subsided after administration of promethazine and clonazepam. The cause of BDD varies, making diagnosis difficult. One of the causes being drug induced but it has never been reported earlier by domperidone. Also, our report provides a possible way to manage BDD by clonazepam and promethazine.