J Korean Neurol Assoc.
1995 Dec;13(4):1020-1025.
Non-epileptic Events of Paroxysmal Dystonic Choreoathetosis in Two Patients with Cerebral Calcification Due to Hypoparathyroidism
- Affiliations
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- 1Department of Neurology, Chungnam National University Medical College and Hospital, Korea.
- 2Department of Neurology, Samsung Medical Center, Korea.
Abstract
- There are diverse neurologic manifestations in patients with idiopathic or pseudohypoparathyroidism. Although one knows that hypocalcemia provokes symptoms of tetany, there is little knowldege about the paroxysmal dystonic choreoathetosis(PKC). We report two patients with paroxysmal symptoms resulting from hypocalcemia associated with idiopathic hypoparathyroidism and pseudohypoparathryoidism respectively, which were misdiagnosed and treated as epilepsy. They showed repetitive paroxysmal dystonic choreoathetotic movements that lasted for several seconds and typically induced by sudden voluntary movement. The ne-uroimaging showed bilateral symmetrical calcifications., mainly in the basal ganglia. In the clinical setting, these types of paroxysmal movements may be readily misdiagnosed as partial seizure or tetany. Therefore, not only the laboratory work up for hypocalcemia, but careful history taking and clinical observation is important in differential diagnosis of epilepsy and paroxysmal movements in the patient with hypocalcemia.
