FLEXOR postures following damage to nervous system have been well recognized and have been called flexion dystonia,1 pelvicrural flexion,2 flexor rigidity,3 or flexor quadriplegia. Previous clinical discussions have emphasized that this posture results following abnormality of spinal cord,4 following compression of brain stem,5 or following diffuse cerebral damage.6 We know of no reports in man that document such flexor postures following selective damage to the pontine tegmentum.
This report presents a case of flexor quadriplegia following destruction of pontine tegmentum by hemorrhage and will describe the anatomic areas which were damaged and document those tegmental structures whose absence results in release of this flexor posture in man. The findings in this case are in many ways comparable to the experimental results of Mettler,7,8 Bazett and Penfield," Thiele,10 Bard and Macht,11 and Denny-Brown.1
Report of a Case
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