Blepharoclonus: Anatomical localization and etiological consideration

Abstract

Blepharoclonus refers to myoclonic rhythmic eyelid closure. This is an extremely rare abnormal movement of the eyelids. The symptom has an ill-defined anatomical localization and hypothesized etiologies are diverse. We describe a 42 year-old woman with known poorly controlled hypertension (HTN) who presented with a three-week history of ataxia, dysmetria, and uncontrolled eyelid twitching. The bilateral abnormal eyelid movement occurred during either eyelid closure or opening, and was compatible with blepharoclonus. MRI revealed multiple cerebral infarctions at red nucleus, dentate nucleus, and inferior olives. These foci are within Guillain-Mollaret’s triangle. The ataxia and dysmetria gradually improved within three weeks. While the blepharoclonus improved, it persisted after one year of follow-up. Our conclusion was one of HTN leading to a lacunar infarct that manifested partially as blepharoclonus. Due to the neuroimaging findings and clinical course, we propose that blepharoclonus may be a variant of palatal myoclonus and may be considered as another lacunar syndrome. © 2014, Medical Association of Thailand. All rights reserved.