Jaw tremor: a manifestation of vascular parkinsonism? - a case report

Vascular Parkinsonism (VP) is a heterogeneous group of conditions that manifest clinically in parkinsonian features, but are presumably of vascular cause. It is usually bilateral, non-tremulous, and frequently associated with pyramidal signs. Classically VP is described as lower body parkinsonism affecting predominantly the legs.

A 67 years old lady presented with a history of acute onset jaw tremor, with tremor predominantly in both upper limbs. Neurological examination revealed hypomimia of the face with cogwheel rigidity and bradykinesia bilaterally, predominantly in the upper limbs without pyramidal signs. She had a marked tremor of the jaw at rest. When she was asked to open her mouth the tremor was re-emergent. Non contrast CT scan of her brain revealed an infarction in the region of putamen on the left with no evidence of diffuse subcortical white matter ischemia or extension to the caudate nucleus. She was treated with levodopa and responded well to medication.

This case describes atypical clinical features which could be associated with VP including jaw tremor. This case also stresses the importance of initiating a trial of levodopa as certain patients may respond well to medication.