[Bilateral Pallidal Deep Brain Stimulation for Dystonic Camptocormia Induced by Repetitive Abdominal Muscle...

Camptocormia is a rare and disabling movement disorder resulting in forward bending of the trunk. Camptocormia has many etiologies, although it is frequently observed patients with in Parkinson's disease and dystonia. Deep brain stimulation(DBS)of the globus pallidus internus(GPi)and subthalamic nucleus effectively treats camptocormia in Parkinson's disease and dystonia patients. Herein, we report a case of dystonic camptocormia induced by repetitive abdominal muscle exercise in which treatment was administered using bilateral GPi-DBS. A 54-year-old woman developed dystonic camptocormia at 53 years of age. Prior to the onset of symptoms, she regularly performed 200 abdominal muscle exercises per day. Oral medications, and botulinum toxin and lidocaine injections, were ineffective. Truncal anterior bending occurred while standing and walking. The patient underwent bilateral GPi-DBS, which instantly and dramatically improved her symptoms. The Burke-Fahn-Marsden dystonia rating scale subscore for the trunk before and after bilateral pallidotomy was 6 and 0, respectively. No perioperative adverse events were observed. Symptomatic relief persisted for 2 years. This case suggest that camptocormia can result from repeated abdominal muscle exercise, and that bilateral GPi-DBS may be a feasible and long-term efficacious procedure for dystonic camptocormia.