Related Experiment Videos
Head bobbing in a patient with a cyst of the third ventricle
Insights
Bobble head doll syndrome, a rare childhood movement disorder, is often linked to third ventricle cysts. Surgical removal of these cysts provides only slight symptom improvement, suggesting complex underlying mechanisms.
Area of Science:
- Neurology
- Pediatrics
- Neuroscience
Background:
- Bobble head doll syndrome is a rare movement disorder characterized by rhythmic head bobbing, typically emerging in early childhood.
- The condition is often associated with lesions in the anterior third ventricle region.
Observation:
- A case report details a 7-year-old boy with bobble head doll syndrome and a third ventricle cyst.
- Partial cyst removal via transcortical exploration resulted in minimal reduction of the head bobbing tic.
- A literature review identified 17 cases, with an average age of 7 years at diagnosis.
Findings:
- In 13 of the 17 reviewed cases, a slow-growing cyst or mass in or near the anterior third ventricle was identified as the cause.
- Acute lesions were not observed as a cause.
- Aqueductal stenosis was suspected in 3 cases, and the cause remained unknown in 1 case.
Implications:
- The findings highlight the strong association between third ventricle cysts and bobble head doll syndrome in children.
- The limited efficacy of surgical intervention suggests that the pathophysiology of this syndrome may involve more than just physical obstruction.
- Further research is needed to elucidate the precise mechanisms and explore more effective treatment strategies for this condition.
Abstract:
The case of a 7 year-old boy with 'bobble head doll syndrome' associated with a cyst in the third ventricle is reported. This movement disorder appears in early childhood and consists mostly in a rhythmic to-and-fro bobbing of the head and eventually of the trunk. As in three previously described cases, this case showed only slight decrease of the 'tic' after partial removal of the cyst by transcortical exploration of the third ventricle. In an inquiry and a survey of the literature, 17 cases with bobble head doll syndrome were collected. The average age of the described cases was 7 years at time of diagnosis. In 13 cases a slow-growing cyst or mass in the anterior part of the third ventricle of close to this region was found. There was no case observed with an acute lesion, in 3 cases it was thought an aqueduct stenosis should be the cause, and in 1 case the cause was unknown.