Focal, steroid responsive myositis causing dropped head syndrome

The dropped head syndrome, which occurs in a variety of neuromuscular disor ders, is usually not due to an inflammatory process and generally either se lf-limited or nonresponsive to therapy. We present an 80-year-old woman who developed progressive neck weakness over a few months due to a focal and r estricted inflammatory process involving the neck extensor muscles. She res ponded dramatically to treatment with immunosuppressive therapy. (C) 1999 J ohn Wiley & Sons, Inc.