title: Masturbation mimicking paroxysmal dystonia or dyskinesia in a young girl.
abstract: We present the case of a young girl with periodic posturing during masturbation. The child had been evaluated by several physicians and underwent numerous diagnostic tests before the spells were seen by a physician and determined to be self-stimulatory and not paroxysmal dystonia. Masturbation is a normal and common behavior in young children and should be recognized as such. Failure to recognize this behavior can lead to unnecessary and invasive testing.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology and Neurological Surgery, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, USA.
authors.forename: J W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Mink
authors.forename: J J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Neil
mesh_terms: D002675:Child, Preschool; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D004421:Dystonia / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008418:Masturbation / Q000503:physiopathology*; D009069:Movement Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology; D009460:Neurologic Examination; D011187:Posture / Q000502:physiology