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Query: UMLS:C0038454 (stroke)
 147,016 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Palatal myoclonus is a movement disorder consisting of rhythmic myoclonus of the soft palate, pharynx, larynx, and other muscles derived from the embryonal branchial arches. These movements are continuous and involuntary, and the patients are, in general, unaware of them. In the majority of patients, palatal myoclonus persists for life. In oculopalatal myoclonus, the eyes can be involved in the form of a nystagmus. Often a clicking noise in one or both ears is the initial symptom which can be heard by the examiner. A variety of etiologies have been linked to palatal myoclonus. The most common defined cause is a stroke. The variable delay between the proposed cause and the appearance of the disorder causes difficulties in determining the exact etiology. Pathologic findings show a transsynaptic hypertrophic degeneration of the inferior olivary nucleus which is due to a lesion of a specific, inhibitory, anatomic pathway. This somatotopic pathway leaves the contralateral dentate nucleus, passes through the superior cerebellar peduncle, and crosses the posterior commissure before joining the central tegmental tract and descending to the ipsilateral inferior olive. Treatment of palatal myoclonus is only occasionally effective. Some patients have responded to tryptophan, carbamazepine, and trihexyphenidyl. Surgical attempts have not been successful. - In the present paper the authors report on a case of an oculopalatal myoclonus following Leber's optic atrophy which involved the brain stem.
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PMID:[Etiology and clinical aspects of palatal myoclonus]. 224 51

We describe a 74 year old man who showed the jaw opening phenomenon by painful stimuli from two months after the onset of basilar artery thrombosis. He was admitted to our hospital because of consciousness disturbance and paralysis of all extremities. Soon after admission, he was in a state of impending herniation but with conservative therapy he recovered slightly, and then fell into an akinetic and mute state. Two months after the onset of the stroke, he began to open his mouth in response to painful stimuli, and five months after the stroke palatal myoclonus also appeared. Neurological signs and symptoms five months after admission were as follows; he was akinetic, mute and always kept his eyes closed because of complete blepharoptosis due to oculomotor nerve palsy. Pupils were dilated and adducted. Bilateral light reflexes were absent and the oculocepharic reflex could not adduct the eyes inwardly. Bilateral corneal reflexes were present, facial reflexes were exaggerated and jaw reflexes were also active. All limbs were spastic and paralyzed, and no voluntary movement was observed. Deep tendon reflexes were active in all extremities, and bilateral plantar responses were extensor. Palatal myoclonus was recognized in his soft palate, lips, sternocleidomastoid and diaphragm. Its frequency was about 150 cycles per minute. CT scan revealed severe low density areas in the midbrain and bilateral posterior lobes. In cerebral angiography, the upper part of the basilar artery was completely occluded.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
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PMID:[A case of jaw opening phenomenon associated with basilar artery thrombosis]. 400 70

Palatal myoclonus can be primary or secondary. In primary palatal myoclonus, no obvious structural brain lesions can be found within the triangle of Guillain and Mollaret. Common causes of secondary myoclonus include stroke, demyelination, infections, trauma, and neurodegeneration.
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PMID:Palatal myoclonus secondary to neurosarcoidosis. 3218 71