Athetosis is an involuntary, smooth, sinuous, writhing movement of the upper limbs and, less commonly, the face and lower extremity. The pill-rolling of Parkinson's disease is an example. Athetosis is due to a lesion of the basal ganglia. It may be the result of cerebral palsy, encephalitis, Wilson's disease, Parkinson's disease, dystonia musculorum deformans, or a cerebral infarct.
Patients presenting with this complaint should have MRI, a serum copper and ceruloplasmin, a CBC, and liver function tests. A spinal tap should be performed if central nervous system lues is suspected.
Read excerpts from these other book chapters related to Chorea:
Copyright Details: Algorithmic Diagnosis of Symptoms and Signs, Copyright © 2008 Williams & Wilkins.
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Title: Algorithmic Diagnosis of Symptoms and Signs Authors: R. Douglas Collins Publisher: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins Copyright: 2003 ISBN: 0-7817-3805-9 
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