Bilateral hand dystonia secondary to a bilateral opercular syndrome or Foix-Chavany-Marie syndrome

Introduction. The main clinical feature of the opercular syndrome (Foix-Chavany-Marie) is the 'automatic-voluntary dissociation' of the facio-glosso-pharyngeal movements (that is, the alteration of voluntary motility with preservation of authomatic movements). Less frequently, it is presented with movement disorders as dystonia. Case report. We report a male patient aged 40 years who developed a biopercular syndrome of vascular etiology (confirmed by neuroimaging), in the context or a clinical picture of global hipoxemia, for which the most outstanding clinical manifestation was the presence of dystonic posturing. Conclusion. Although dystonia is usually related with damage or dysfunction of the basal ganglia or thalamus, in some case it can be caused by lesions in other locations, such as in some patients with biopercular syndrome as in the present case.