The diagnosis of 'essential palatal tremor'.
We report a patient with a 30-year history of progressive, involuntary movements of the left ear and clicking sounds in both ears for 2 years. The patient had rhythmic contractions of the tensor veli palatini muscle and could relieve palatal movements and ear clicks, but not ear movements, by pressing a pillow against the left ear or by finger pressure on the tragus or the retroauricular region. We discuss the significance of these sensory tricks and the nosology of the long-standing ear movements within a classification of essential and symptomatic palatal tremor. Current diagnostic criteria for both types of palatal tremor may not cover some atypical cases such as ours.
Vieregge
P
P
Department of Neurology, Medical University of Lübeck, Germany.
Klein
C
C
Gehrking
E
E
Körtke
D
D
Kömpf
D
D
D000368:Aged; D004423:Ear / Q000503:physiopathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D010156:Palatal Muscles / Q000503:physiopathology*; D014202:Tremor / Q000175:diagnosis*