title: Beneficial effect of piracetam monotherapy on post-ischaemic palatal myoclonus.
abstract: A 70-year-old hypertensive woman suffered a subarachnoid haemorrhage followed by delayed vasospasm in the basal cerebral arteries. This resulted in multiple ischaemic lesions in the right middle cerebral artery region and contralateral post-ischaemic palatal myoclonus. In this setting, piracetam administered in high doses (24-36 g/day), abolished the myoclonus observed in this patient. Although there is evidence from case reports and clinical trials of the therapeutic efficacy of piracetam in patients with skeletal myoclonus of various causes, to our knowledge this is the first report indicating the beneficial effect of piracetam monotherapy on post-ischaemic palatal myoclonus.
authors.affiliation: B' Department of Neurology, Aristotelian University School of Medicine, AHEPA Hospital, Thessaloniki, Greece.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Karacostas
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Doskas
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Artemis
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Vadicolias
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Milonas
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D002545:Brain Ischemia / Q000150:complications*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D009207:Myoclonus / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000209:etiology; D010889:Piracetam / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D013345:Subarachnoid Hemorrhage / Q000150:complications; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed
chemical_list: D010889:Piracetam