What is it about?
This article discusses the spectrum of movement disorders that result from spinal cord demyelination/inflammation in patients with neuromyelitis optica (NMO).
Featured Image
Why is it important?
This study is the first to propose clear definition, unified terminology, and clinically-useful classification for the entity of "Spinal Movement Disorders". The authors applied their proposed classification on a cohort of NMO patients analyzing clinical and radiological characteristics of patients with abnormal movements as well as response to treatment.
Perspectives
Spinal cord demyelination can can cause several movement disorders in patients with NMO, MS, or transverse myelitis. Tonic spasms, focal dystonia, and spinal myoclonus are examples of these abnormal movements. Despite their commonness in clinical practice and their significant contribution to patients' morbidity, spinal movement disorders are often overlooked, mislabeled, and under-treated. In this study, we proposed unified terminology and clear definitions/classification for spinal movement disorders in NMO patients with spinal cord disease. We are currently studying the utility of our classification in MS and other demyelinating diseases of the spinal cord.
Dr Hesham Abboud
Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine of Case Western Reserve University
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Spinal Movement Disorders in Neuromyelitis Optica: An Under-recognized Phenomenon, Movement Disorders Clinical Practice, February 2016, Wiley,
DOI: 10.1002/mdc3.12321.
You can read the full text:
Contributors
The following have contributed to this page
