Parkinson's disease, progressive lumbar kyphosis and focal paraspinal myositis.

Introduction. The camptocormia (bent spine) is characterized by a severe forward flexion of the thoracolumbar spine which disappears in the supine position. Clinical cave. We describe a typical case observed in a parkinsonian patient. The MRI, electromyogram and biopsy of the paraspinal muscles revealed a typical myositis pattern. Discussion. This case, the sixth published to our knowledge, confirms that focal myositis is associated with the camptocormia in Parkinson's disease. Typically it is observed in male subjects, appearing 4 to 6 years after the onset of Parkinson's disease, in fluctuating patients treated by an association of L-Dopa and agonist. It appears quickly and becomes the most important symptom. Antiparkinsonian drugs are useless. Conclusion. This exceptional picture raises original pathophysiological and therapeutic questions. Systematic studies should be performed in order to detail the pathophysiological link between these 3 entities: Parkinson's disease, local myositis and camptocormia.