Dropped head syndrome due to neuromuscular disorders: Clinical manifestation and evaluation

Adult cervical spine deformity: a state-of-the-art review

Adult cervical deformity is a structural malalignment of the cervical spine that may present with variety of significant symptomatology for patients. There are clear and substantial negative impacts of cervical spine deformity, including the increased burden of pain, limited mobility and functionality, and interference with patients' ability to work and perform everyday tasks. Primary cervical deformities develop as the result of a multitude of different etiologies, changing the normal mechanics and structure of the cervical region. In particular, degeneration of the cervical spine, inflammatory arthritides and neuromuscular changes are significant players in the development of disease. Additionally, cervical deformities, sometimes iatrogenically, may present secondary to malalignment or correction of the thoracic, lumbar or sacropelvic spine. Previously, classification systems were developed to help quantify disease burden and influence management of thoracic and lumbar spine deformities. Following up on these works and based on the relationship between the cervical and distal spine, Ames-ISSG developed a framework for a standardized tool for characterizing and quantifying cervical spine deformities. When surgical intervention is required to correct a cervical deformity, there are advantages and disadvantages to both anterior and posterior approaches. A stepwise approach may minimize the drawbacks of either an anterior or posterior approach alone, and patients should have a surgical plan tailored specifically to their cervical deformity based upon symptomatic and radiographic indications. This state-of-the-art review is based upon a comprehensive overview of literature seeking to highlight the normal cervical spine, etiologies of cervical deformity, current classification systems, and key surgical techniques.

Proposal of a diagnostic algorithm for radiation-induced dropped head syndrome in long-term childhood cancer survivors based on a prospective study in a specialized clinical setting and a review of the literature

PURPOSE

To prospectively assess the incidence of Dropped Head Syndrome (DHS) in childhood cancer survivors (CCS) and to develop and evaluate a diagnostic algorithm for DHS.

METHODS

A systematic literature search for DHS in combination with neck radiotherapy (RT) exposure was performed. Analyses and a combination of the most common examination methods were integrated into a diagnostic algorithm. Almost all CCSs visiting the local late effects clinic between May 2020 and April 2022 were included in the study. CCS exposed to neck RT with doses ≥ 19 Gy received standardized clinical and neurological assessment and, in case of abnormal results, an MRI scan to confirm muscle atrophy.

RESULTS

Two hundred and five CCS were included of whom 41 received RT to the neck with ≥ 19 Gy. In the entire cohort and in the subgroup receiving RT, 2.4% and 12% of CCS were affected by DHS, respectively. Results of clinical and neurological assessment correlated well with MRI results. Neck circumference and neck/thigh ratio were lower after neck RT. Over 50% of CCS experienced neck disability and pain.

CONCLUSIONS

A relevant proportion of CCS exposed to neck RT is affected by DHS. High concordance of MRI results with the neurological examination supports the clinical value of the diagnostic algorithm. Measurement of neck circumference might be an easy tool for assessment of neck muscle atrophy in survivors at risk.

IMPLICATIONS FOR CANCER SURVIVORS

Integration of a diagnostic algorithm for DHS in standard long-term follow-up care facilitates diagnosis as well as initiation of early treatment and obviates the need for invasive examinations.

Dropped Head Syndrome Secondary to Danon Disease: A Case Report

Dropped head syndrome (DHS) is characterized by neck extensor muscle weakness, which may be isolated or secondary to another neurologic diagnosis. DHS, due to lysosomal storage disorders, has not been reported in the literature. We present a 21-year-old male who had complaints of slowly worsening difficulty swallowing for the past eight years, along with difficulty keeping his head erect. His past medical history was significant for apical hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), and he had a history of sudden cardiac death in his immediate family. Clinical examination was significant only for neck extensor muscle weakness. His laboratory investigations were unremarkable, save for a significantly elevated creatine kinase (CK). Finally, whole exome sequencing identified a hemizygous stop gain variant in the lysosome-associated membrane protein 2 (LAMP-2) gene, pointing to a diagnosis of Danon disease (DD). DD is a rare, X-linked, inherited disease, due to a defect in the LAMP-2 gene that disrupts lysosomal autophagy. It is characterized by a triad of HCM, skeletal myopathy, and intellectual disability. Males typically suffer a more severe phenotype, and the cardiac disease drives its prognosis. Management involves regular cardiac monitoring, with appropriate physical therapy for myopathy and multidisciplinary treatment for intellectual disability. We suggest that DD be considered in the differential diagnosis for patients with HCM and elevated CK.

Testosterone Therapy for Dropped Head Syndrome: A Case Report

Dropped head syndrome (DHS) is an impairment of neck extension resulting in a chin-on-chest deformity. DHS is rarely seen but a major hindrance to daily function in affected patients. DHS has been associated with movement disorders, neuromuscular disorders, and electrolyte and endocrine abnormalities. DHS has also been seen in survivors of Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) years after irradiation. HL survivors are also at risk for endocrine hypogonadism after chemotherapy. We present the case of a 58-year-old male HL survivor with dropped head and limited strength in his atrophic neck extensor muscles. Laboratory testing and imaging, nerve conduction studies, electromyography, and muscle biopsy of the neck extensors revealed myopathic and neurogenic changes. Conservative management was unsuccessful. With a desire to avoid surgical fixation, he asked his primary care physician to check his testosterone levels, which returned as low normal. Within 4 months of starting testosterone therapy, he no longer experienced dropped head.

Predominant Neck Extensor Muscle Weakness: A Rare Manifestation of Idiopathic Polymyositis

Dropped head syndrome (DHS) is a rare disease. It can be an isolated phenomenon or secondary to an underlying inflammatory, genetic, or sporadic neuromuscular disease. Idiopathic polymyositis as an underlying cause of DHS is rare and this association has been described very few times in the literature. We describe a case of biopsy-proven polymyositis presenting with predominant neck extensor muscle weakness. This case report goes further into analyzing the biomechanics of neck extension and putative reasons for predilection of the neck extensor muscles with advancing age in patients with DHS who have underlying idiopathic polymyositis.