A case of dyskinetic cerebral palsy resembling post-anoxic action myoclonus

Myoclonus after brain anoxia is more commonly observed in adults. Perinatal anoxia, however, on rare occassions causes myoclonus as the main neurologic abnormality. In this paper we described a case of cerebral palsy complicated by chorea and tremulous movements of the foot in which there were no risk factors except perinatal asphyxia. The patient had unique symptoms, action myoclonus associated with the movements of hyperkinésie volitionnelle. This case illustrated two points. One is that abnormal involuntary movements attributed to perinatal brain insults had changed as the brain matured. The other is that some movements were very similar to those of the post-anoxic action myoclonus, commonly seen in patients who sustain brain damage in adulthood.