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Athetosis

 
(′ath·ə′tō·səs)

(medicine) Slow, recurrent, involuntary wormlike movements of various parts of the body associated with lesions of the basal ganglia.


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Dental Dictionary: athetosis
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(ath′ətō′sis)
n

A neuromuscular impairment in which extensive twisting and swaying spasms of the skeletal musculature interfere with voluntary control of movement; the spasms are especially conspicuous and disconcerting during emotional stress and on initiation of conscious voluntary acts.

Veterinary Dictionary: athetosis
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Repetitive involuntary, slow, sinuous, writhing movements. Seen in primates, but not a feature of neurological disorders in domestic animals.

Word Tutor: athetosis
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pronunciation

IN BRIEF: n. - A continuous succession of slow, writhing, involuntary movements of the hands and feet and other body parts.

Wikipedia: Athetosis
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Athetosis
Classification and external resources
ICD-10 R25.8
ICD-9 781.0
DiseasesDB 16662
MeSH D001264

Athetosis is a continuous stream of slow, sinuous, writhing movements, typically of the hands and feet. Movements typical to athetosis are sometimes called athetoid movements. It is said to be caused by damage to the corpus striatum of the brain, and can also be caused by a lesion of the motor thalamus.[citation needed]

Athetosis is to be distinguished from pseudoathetosis, which is abnormal writhing movement, usually of the fingers, occurring when the eyes are closed, caused by a failure of joint position sense (proprioception), for example in peripheral neuropathy.

See also


 
 
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athetoid
hemiathetosis
monathetosis

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Sci-Tech Dictionary. McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific and Technical Terms. Copyright © 2003, 1994, 1989, 1984, 1978, 1976, 1974 by McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.  Read more
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