Radiculopathy and myelopathy in patients with primary cervical dystonia

In a prospective series of 34 incident patients with primary cervical dysto nia (CD), 6 showed clinical or radiological signs of cervical radiculopathy (RP) or myelopathy (MP) during the course of their movement disorder. Age at onset in these patients was in the range reported for pure spondylotic c ervical RP without an accompanying movement disorder. Radiologically, spond ylosis was mild in 1 case and absent in 2 cases. The intervals between onse t of CD and RP were shorter than in literature reports of RP/MP in dystonic -athetotic patients of cerebral paresis. Clinically, RP/MP in patients with CD mostly appears at mid-cervical levels, whereas cases with cerebral pare sis are more frequently affected at higher cervical segments. We propose th at RP/MP does not occur more frequently in CD than in pure spondylotic cerv ical RP. Copyright (C) 2001 S. Karger AG, Basel.