THE USE OF CLOSTRIDIUM-BOTULINUM TOXIN IN PALATAL MYOCLONUS - A PRELIMINARY-REPORT

Palatal myoclonus is a rare syndrome characterized by involuntary rhyt hmical movements of the soft palate giving rise to clicking objective tinnitus. The intrusive nature of the tinnitus prompts patients to see k medical advice but to date no single treatment modality has been sho wn to be consistently effective. We present three cases in whom variou s management regimes were unsuccessful and in whom botulinum toxin inj ection to the palatal muscles was undertaken. All three cases were ren dered free of their tinnitus with complete abolition of the myoclonus. The questions of optimum dosage as well as frequency of injection wil l be answered as greater numbers are treated by this method.