Surgical treatment of dropped head syndrome secondary to fascioscapulohumeral muscle dystrophy: a case report

Abstract

Fascioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy is an uncommon hereditary myopathy which affects mainly the muscle of the face and upper limb girdle. We present a rare case with dropped head syndrome as the prominent manifestation of that disease and successfully treated by surgical management. It was a 25-year-old male patient with the chief complaint of neck pain and inability to maintain his horizontal gaze for long periods and as a result he had to quit his job as a shipper. His mother also had signs and symptoms of fascioscapulohumeral muscle dystrophy. Conservative treatment consisting of physical therapy and hard collar was the first attempt in order to reduce the neck pain and had limited result. We then performed a posterior cervical surgery including C2 to T2 instrumentation and kyphotic correction for the patient. The ten-month postop clinical and radiological results were satisfactory and the patient could return to his previous job. Dropped head syndrome with failed conservative treatment can be surgically treated after considering all clinical and radiographic factors.