Continuous, synchronous, rhythmic movements of the palate, pharynx and larynx were reported in 1886 by Spencer.1 However, a detailed description of them appeared only when Klien,2 in 1904, and Freystadtl,3 in 1928, reported their cases and observations. These movements either may be localized, involving the palate alone, or may include the muscles of deglutition, namely, those of the palate, the pharynx and the larynx. Localized palatal movements are not uncommon, more than 100 cases having been reported. On the other hand, reports of synchronous continuous movements of the palate, pharynx and larynx are rare, only 26 cases having been found in the literature.
The common characteristics of these movements are: they are constant, synchronous, gross oscillatory movements having two phases, a rapid and a slow; they are not related to the pulse or respirations; they persist under anesthesia, and usually are not influenced by extraneous stimulation or