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Similarity of Involuntary Postures between Different Children with Dystonia
Terence D Sanger1, Diana Ferman1
1Division of Neurology Children's Hospital Los Angeles Los Angeles California USA.
Insights
Childhood dystonia involves abnormal involuntary postures. This study identified seven common postures shared by 152 children, suggesting a common expression pathway for dystonia symptoms.
Area of Science:
- Neurology
- Pediatric Movement Disorders
Background:
- Dystonia is characterized by abnormal involuntary postures.
- Specific postures in pediatric dystonia have not been previously categorized.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine if specific, common postures exist among children diagnosed with dystonia.
- To categorize and enumerate observed postures in pediatric dystonia.
Main Methods:
- Video recordings of 179 children diagnosed with nonpsychogenic dystonia were reviewed.
- Children were seen in a pediatric movement disorders clinic over a 4-year period.
Main Results:
- Visually similar postures were identified in 152 out of 179 children.
- Seven distinct common postures were identified.
- All 152 children displayed at least one of these common postures, with most exhibiting multiple.
Conclusions:
- Childhood dystonia shows unexpected posture similarities across diverse etiologies and experiences.
- This suggests dystonia may be a symptom reflecting a shared pathway for various underlying abnormalities.
Background:
Abnormal involuntary postures are characteristic of dystonia, but the specific postures observed clinically have not previously been categorized or enumerated. The objective of this study was to determine whether there is a set of specific postures that are common between different children with dystonia.
Methods:
Videotapes were examined from all children who were seen in a pediatric movement disorders clinic over a 4-year period and had a diagnosis of nonpsychogenic dystonia. In total, 179 children were included in the video review.
Results:
Visually similar postures were identified in 152 different children. Seven different common postures were identified. All 152 children exhibited at least 1 of these postures, and most had more than 1.
Conclusions:
Involuntary postures in childhood dystonia exhibit unexpected similarities despite a wide range of underlying etiology, severity, and developmental experience. This is consistent with the hypothesis that childhood dystonia is a symptom that reflects a shared pathway of expression for multiple anatomic and functional abnormalities.
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