Asterixis

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(ăs'tə-rĭk'sĭs)
n.

An abnormal tremor consisting of involuntary jerking movements, especially in the hands, frequently occurring with impending hepatic coma and other forms of metabolic encephalopathy. Also called flapping tremor.

Asterixis
Classification and external resources
ICD-10 R27.8
ICD-9 781.3
DiseasesDB 33950
MeSH D020820

Asterixis (also called the flapping tremor, or liver flap) is a tremor of the wrist when the wrist is extended, sometimes said to resemble a bird flapping its wings. This motor disorder is characterized by jerking movements (as of the outstretched hands) and is associated with various encephalopathies due especially to faulty metabolism.[1] The term derives from the Greek a, "not" and stērixis, "fixed position".

Contents

Associated conditions and presentation

Usually there are brief, arrhythmic interruptions of sustained voluntary muscle contraction causing brief lapses of posture, with a frequency of 3–5 Hz. It is bilateral, but may be asymmetric.

History

R.D. Adams and J.M. Foley first described asterixis in 1949 in patients with severe liver failure and encephalopathy.[3]

References

  1. ^ "Asterixis - Definition". http://www.merriam-webster.com/medical/asterixis. Retrieved 6.1.2011. 
  2. ^ Anne M. Larson, Diagnosis and management of acute liver failure, Curr Opin Gastroenterol., 2010, 26(3):212:221, 2010
  3. ^ Adams RD, Foley JM. The neurological changes in the more common types of severe liver disease. Trans American Neurology Association 1949; 74: 217-219.

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