Tanaka Kanta, Wada Ikko, Okunomiya Taro, Shima Atsushi, Kambe Daisuke, Shinde Akiyo, Kageyama Takashi, Suenaga Toshihiko
Department of Neurology, Tenri Hospital, Japan.
Intern Med. 2014;53(8):883-6. doi: 10.2169/internalmedicine.53.1740. Epub 2014 Apr 15.
A 67-year-old woman developed dropped head. Her neck was severely flexed, with prominent cervical paraspinal muscles, although no parkinsonism was observed. Brain MRI showed no significant findings. We considered dystonia as the cause of the dropped head and administered trihexyphenidyl, an anticholinergic. After 10 years of follow-up, remarkable psychotic symptoms, including hallucinations regarding insects, appeared. Following the discontinuation of trihexyphenidyl, the psychotic symptoms decreased but still remained. (123)I-N-isopropyl-p-iodoamphetamine single-photon emission computed tomography ((123)I-IMP SPECT) revealed hypoperfusion in the bilateral occipital lobes. We diagnosed the patient with dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB). This case suggests that dropped head syndrome may precede the onset of DLB.