title: Isolated neck extensor myopathy causing a dropped head: a case report.
abstract: This report is of a 71-year-old woman who presented with a dropped head and difficulty in extending her neck. She was diagnosed with isolated neck extensor myopathy. Conservative treatment (use of a cervical collar and muscular strength training) temporarily improved her symptoms. However, destruction of cervical vertebrae and myelopathy progressed secondary to repeated microfractures from mechanical stress. The patient underwent 2-stage combined anterior and posterior decompression and fusion using autografts. At one-year follow-up, numbness of the bilateral upper limbs had resolved, and bone union was achieved. The patient was able to look straight ahead and was very satisfied with the outcome.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Toho University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan. drkan@med.toho-u.ac.jp
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Takahashi
authors.forename: Yuichiro
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yokoyama
authors.forename: Fumiaki
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Terajima
authors.forename: Keiji
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hasegawa
authors.forename: Toru
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Suguro
authors.forename: Kazutoshi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Shibuya
authors.forename: Akihito
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Wada
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001707:Biopsy, Needle; D016025:Bone Transplantation / Q000379:methods; D002574:Cervical Vertebrae / Q000601:surgery; D019299:Decompression, Surgical / Q000379:methods*; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D004576:Electromyography; D005260:Female; D005360:Fibula / Q000637:transplantation; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D019416:Head Movements; D006801:Humans; D007085:Ilium / Q000637:transplantation; D007593:Joint Instability / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology; D007738:Kyphosis / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000601:surgery; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D018908:Muscle Weakness / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology* / Q000601:surgery; D009334:Neck Muscles / Q000503:physiopathology*; D013123:Spinal Fusion / Q000379:methods*; D013904:Thoracic Vertebrae / Q000601:surgery; D014182:Transplantation, Autologous