Department of Child Neuropsychiatry, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.
Division of Clinical Psychology, Graduate School of Education, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.
PLoS One. 2021 Dec 30;16(12):e0261560. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0261560. eCollection 2021.
Neck motor tics in Tourette's syndrome can cause severe neck complications. Although addressed in a few longitudinal studies, the clinical course of Tourette's syndrome has not been quantitatively assessed. We had previously developed a method for quantifying the angular movements of neck tics using a compact gyroscope. Here, we present a follow-up study aimed at elucidating the clinical course of neck tics at both the group and individual levels.
Eleven patients with Tourette's syndrome from our previous study participated in the present study, and their neck tics were recorded during a 5-min observation period. The severity of neck symptoms was assessed using the Yale Global Tic Severity Scale. The peak angular velocities and accelerations, tic counts, and severity scores in our previous study (baseline) and the present study (2-year follow-up) were compared at the group and individual levels. The individual level consistency between baseline and follow-up were calculated using intra-class correlation coefficients (ICCs, one-way random, single measure).
At the group level, no significant change was observed between baseline and follow-up. At the individual level, angular velocity (ICC 0.73) and YGTSS scores (ICC 0.75) had substantial consistency over the two time points, and angular acceleration (ICC 0.59) and tic counts (ICC 0.69) had moderate consistency.
The intensity and frequency of neck tics did not change over time. Therefore, quantification of angular neck motor tics will aid in identifying patients with neck tics at high risk for severe neck complications.
妥瑞氏综合征的颈部运动性抽搐可导致严重的颈部并发症。尽管在一些纵向研究中有所涉及，但妥瑞氏综合征的临床病程尚未得到定量评估。我们之前开发了一种使用紧凑陀螺仪量化颈部抽搐角度运动的方法。在这里，我们进行了一项后续研究，旨在从群体和个体水平阐明颈部抽搐的临床病程。
我们之前研究中的 11 名妥瑞氏综合征患者参与了本研究，在 5 分钟的观察期间记录了他们的颈部抽搐。使用耶鲁整体抽动严重程度量表评估颈部症状的严重程度。在群体和个体水平上比较了我们之前研究（基线）和本研究（2 年随访）中颈部抽搐的峰值角速度和角加速度、抽搐次数和严重程度评分。使用组内相关系数（ICC，单向随机，单测）计算基线和随访之间个体水平的一致性。
在群体水平上，基线和随访之间没有观察到显著变化。在个体水平上，角速度（ICC 0.73）和 YGTSS 评分（ICC 0.75）在两个时间点具有很好的一致性，角加速度（ICC 0.59）和抽搐次数（ICC 0.69）具有中度一致性。
颈部抽搐的强度和频率没有随时间变化。因此，量化颈部运动性抽搐的角度将有助于识别有发生严重颈部并发症风险的颈部抽搐患者。
