Pseudochoreoathetosis secondary to progressive spondylotic cervical myelopathy

Abstract

Pseudochoreoathetosis is a rare movement disorder associated with loss of proprioception. Culprit lesions may occur at any point between the cerebral cortex and the peripheral nerve. Seldom is the underlying cause reversible or prone to improvement. An elderly man presented to our tertiary centre with choreoathetoid movements secondary to spondylotic subaxial cervical myelopathy. His myelopathy fulminated and he was emergently treated with posterior decompressive neurosurgery. Unexpectedly, his choreoathetoid movements improved significantly post-operatively. There are a multitude of reports of pseudochoreoathetosis secondary to lesions of various aetiologies; however, few have reported this disorder secondary to cervical spondylosis. To our knowledge, there is only one other report in the medical literature. Herein, we report a second case, for the purposes of raising awareness of this disorder, and to highlight relevant clinical pearls for clinicians who encounter this rare pathology.

Keywords: movement disorders (other than parkinsons); neurological injury; neurosurgery; spinal cord.