Key features help determine dystonia severity
The study is particularly interesting for its different findings in upper extremities versus lower extremities, according to Keith Coffman, MD, who comoderated the session where the study was presented. “That same group showed that there are very clear differences in lower-extremity function, but when they looked at upper extremity, there really weren’t robust differences. What it may show is that the features of cerebral palsy regarding dystonia may be very dependent on what type of injury you have to your brain. Because when you think about where the motor fibers that provide leg function, they live along the medial walls of the brain right along the midline, whereas the representation of the hand and arm are more out on the lateral side of the brain. So it may be that those regional anatomy differences and where the injury occurred could be at the baseline of why they had such differences in motor function,” said Dr. Coffman, who is a professor of pediatrics at University of Missouri–Kansas City and director of the movement disorders program at Children’s Mercy Hospital, also in Kansas City, Mo.
He suggested that the researchers might also do kinematic analysis of the videos to make predictions using quantitative differences in movement.
The research has the potential to improve dystonia diagnosis, according to comoderator Marc Patterson, MD, professor of neurology, pediatrics, and medical genetics at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. “I think they really pointed to some key features that can help clinicians distinguish [dystonia severity]. Something like the speed of opening and closing the hands [is a] fairly simple thing. That was to me the chief value of that study,” Dr. Patterson said.
Dr. Gilbert reported no relevant disclosures.