Presentation, etiology, diagnosis, and management of camptocormia

Abstract

Camptocormia (bent spine syndrome, cyphose hystérique) is an abnormality characterized by severe forward flexion of the thoracolumbar spine which typically increases during walking or standing and completely disappears in supine position. Camptocormia can be due to central nervous system diseases, such as Parkinson's disease, dystonia, multisystem atrophy, or Alzheimer's disease, due to peripheral nervous system diseases, such as primary myopathy, secondary myopathy, motor neuron disease, myasthenia, or chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy, due to side effects of drug treatment, due to disc herniation, arthritis or spinal trauma, or due to paraneoplasia. Only rarely may camptocormia be attributable to psychiatric disease. The diagnosis is based on clinical findings, imaging of the cerebrum or spine, needle electromyography, or muscle biopsy. Treatment options are limited and frequently futile and rely on conservative measures, such as psychotherapy, physiotherapy, use of orthoses, drugs, injection of botulinum toxin, withdrawal of causative drugs, electroconvulsive therapy, or invasive measures, such as surgical correction or deep brain stimulation. The outcome is generally fair. Some patients profit from therapy whereas others do not respond to treatment and become progressively immobile.