Isolated lingual/palatal dystonia

Abstract

We report a 45-year-old woman with a 3-year history of continuous dystonic movements of tongue and palate with intermittent episodes of noticeable worsening lasting 6 to 8 h. The movements began immediately after a viral illness. The only contributory history is that the patient received high doses of prochlorperazine 22 years earlier for hyperemesis gravidarum. The patient appears to have an unusual focal lower cranial dystonia. Proposed etiologies may be idiopathic or related to prior use of a phenothiazine with a viral trigger.