[Long-term treatment with L-DOPA in a case of torsion dystonia (authors transl)].

A 36-year old woman had been able to move from place to place only by crawling until 1971 after she had been treated with L-DOPA, the dose of which was increased to a maximum of 2.5 g daily. Within 4 weeks there was a diminution of her increased muscle tone and she experienced a dramatic improvement in her daily living activities, being able to walk without assistance for the first time in 20 years. This improvement has continued with a daily maintenance dose of 1.25 g. For patients with torsion dystonia, where the so-called myostatic component preponderates, cautious application of L-DOPA seems to be justified and further clinical studies are suggested.