Fasciculation-cramp syndrome preceding anterior horn cell disease: an intermediate syndrome?

Mamede de Carvalho (1) , Michael Swash (2)

1 Neuroscience Department and Institute of Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Lisbon.
2 QMUL - Queen Mary University of London

Cramp-fasciculation syndrome (cramp-FS) is an ill-defined condition with uncertain clinical limits. We studied a 55-year-old man with progressively more severe, widespread fasciculations and cramps during a six-year period. Mild progressive lower motor neuron loss, shown by MUNE and multiMUP analysis, developed during the four years after onset, which stabilized during a further 2-year follow-up. Cramp-FS is generally a benign syndrome, probably with several causations. Our patient developed a limited form of anterior horn cell degeneration perhaps representing a syndrome transitional with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Cramp-FS merits more detailed study.

Mots clés: ALS; EMG; MOTOR NEURON DISEASE

Mamede de Carvalho, Michael Swash. Fasciculation-cramp syndrome preceding anterior horn cell disease: an intermediate syndrome?. Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry, 2010, 82 (4), pp.459. ⟨10.1136/jnnp.2009.194019⟩. ⟨hal-00576974⟩