Kinesigenic choreoathetosis due to brain injury.

This uncommon paroxysmal movement disorder featuring attacks of dystonic spasm with athetoid posturing is usually of idiopathic nature, often familial and starting in childhood. There are a few reported examples due to cerebral pathology, and only four previous cases due to brain trauma. We report here a 21 year old man with left-sided motor spasms, choreoathetoid in type, which were clearly caused by a right frontal penetrating injury with contusion and haemorrhage. The attacks were relieved by phenytoin therapy. In this case, it seems that the post-traumatic paroxysmal kinesigenic choreoathetosis may be a form of reflex epilepsy.