Secondary Palatal Myoclonus

A 59-year-old woman with a history of diabetes, hypertension, and multiple previous strokes presented for evaluation. She had had acute onset of imbalance and difficulty speaking 2 years earlier. Examination revealed a constant, jerky movement of the soft palate, shown in a video. A 59-year-old woman with a history of diabetes, hypertension, and multiple previous strokes presented for evaluation. Two years earlier, she had an acute onset of imbalance, along with difficulty swallowing and speaking. The neurologic examination revealed dysarthric speech and pseudobulbar affect, with a constant, rhythmic jerky movement of the soft palate, which was indicative of palatal myoclonus (Panel A, and Video). She reported having no tinnitus or clicking sounds in her ear, which can be associated with this condition. Magnetic resonance imaging of the brain revealed a hypointense lesion in the right lateral pontine tegmentum on axial gradient echo sequence . . .