RT Book, Section
A1 Mark, Margery H.
A2 Watts, Ray L.
A2 Standaert, David G.
A2 Obeso, Jose A.
SR Print(0)
ID 55801535
T1 Chapter 36. Other Choreatic Disorders
T2 Movement Disorders, 3e
YR 2012
FD 2012
PB The McGraw-Hill Companies
PP New York, NY
SN 978-0-07-161312-5
LK neurology.mhmedical.com/content.aspx?aid=55801535
RD 2024/04/20
AB Chorea  (Greek  for  “dance”)  consists  of  irregular,  unpredictable,  brief  movements  that  flow  from  one  body  part  to  another  in  a  nonstereotyped  fashion.  They  may  be  incorporated,  especially  in  milder  cases,  into  more  purposeful  movements.  They  may  consist  of  small  twitches  or  larger  jerks  of  any  body  part.  Choreiform  movements  rarely  occur  in  isolation;  rather,  they  may  be  often  seen  in  a  spectrum  with  slower,  distal,  writhing,  sinuous  movements  called  athetosis,  and  described  as  choreoathetosis.  In  many  disorders  in  which  chorea  is  a  feature,  it  is  not  uncommon  to  see  other  movement  disorders  as  well,  particularly  dystonia.  The  converse  of  speed  and  amplitude  from  athetoid  movements  are  ballistic  movements  (i.e.,  fast  and  large  amplitude),  which  are  usually  seen  unilaterally  as  hemiballism,  although  bilateral  (paraballism  or  biballism)  may  be  encountered.  Ballistic  movements,  the  most  extreme  type  of  movement  disorder,  are  large  amplitude,  usually  proximal  flinging  of  a  limb  or  body  part.  Although  some  investigators  separate  these  disorders,  others  (including  the  present  author)  consider  ballism  to  be  a  severe  form  of  chorea,  and  in  fact  many  cases  of  resolving  ballistic  movements  taper  down  to  chorea.1