A blinded study of the suppressibility of involuntary movements in Huntington's chorea, tardive dyskinesia, and L-dopa-induced chorea.
Videotapes of patients with Huntington's chorea, tardive dyskinesia (TD), and L-DOPA-induced chorea in Parkinson's disease were taken while the patients were seated with their legs dangling. The videotapes were scored in a blinded fashion for suppressibility of dyskinesias. Most patients with TD or L-DOPA-induced chorea substantially suppressed their involuntary movements, whereas most patients with Huntington's chorea did not. There was a small overlap between the TD and Huntington's chorea groups and suppressibility therefore could not absolutely distinguish between them. Suppressibility testing may nonetheless be a valuable clinical tool since a good, excellent, or complete suppressibility rating was highly suggestive of TD but not Huntington's chorea. TD and L-DOPA-induced chorea may be more pathophysiologically similar to each other than either is to Huntington's chorea.
Walters
A S
AS
Department of Neurology, UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, New Brunswick 08903-0019.
McHale
D
D
Sage
J I
JI
Hening
W A
WA
Bergen
M
M
D002819:Chorea / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology*; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D004409:Dyskinesia, Drug-Induced / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D006816:Huntington Disease / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology*; D007980:Levodopa / Q000009:adverse effects; D010300:Parkinson Disease / Q000188:drug therapy; D014743:Videotape Recording
D007980:Levodopa