Remission of tardive dystonia (blepharospasm) after electroconvulsive therapy in a patient with treatment-refractory schizophrenia.
Tardive dystonia is a movement disorder dominated by involuntary muscle contractions that may be tonic, spasmodic, patterned or repetitive, associated with the use of dopamine-receptor blocking agents. Most of the patients with tardive dystonia present initially with blepharospasm. Treatment of dystonia is generally disappointing. A patient with chronic paranoid schizophrenia who developed blepharospasm is described here. Blepharospasm remitted after a course of electroconvulsive therapy. Remission was sustained until 3 months after stopping maintenance electroconvulsive therapy.
Sienaert
Pascal
P
ECT Department, University Center Sint-Jozef, Catholic University of Leuven, Kortenberg, Belgium. pascal.sienaert@uc-kortenberg.be
Peuskens
Joseph
J
D000328:Adult; D014150:Antipsychotic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001764:Blepharospasm / Q000150:complications* / Q000628:therapy*; D002908:Chronic Disease; D004351:Drug Resistance; D004409:Dyskinesia, Drug-Induced / Q000150:complications* / Q000628:therapy*; D004565:Electroconvulsive Therapy; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012074:Remission Induction; D019233:Retreatment; D012563:Schizophrenia, Paranoid / Q000150:complications* / Q000628:therapy*
D014150:Antipsychotic Agents