Olivopontocerebellar atrophy

Injury	Disease	Nutrition	Poison

Symptoms	Surgery	Test	Special Topic

Central nervous system

Overview

Symptoms

Treatment

Prevention

Olivopontocerebellar atrophy

Alternative Names:

OPCA; Olivopontocerebellar degeneration

Symptoms:

Many symptoms are associated with olivopontocerebellar atrophy but the predominant feature is progressive ataxia (clumsiness) and difficulties with balance. There may be slurring of speech and difficulty walking. Other symptoms may include:

tremor
abnormal movements
abnormal eye movements
sexual dysfunction
bowel or bladder problems
stiffness or rigidity
spasticity
neuropathy
difficulty swallowing

Signs and tests:

A thorough medical and neurological examination as well as a good history of symptoms and family history are necessary to make the diagnosis. There are no specific tests for this condition.

An MRI of the brain may show a small cerebellum or brainstem, or atrophied olives. This is helpful in making the diagnosis but lack of these findings do not necessarily rule this condition out.

Other tests may be done to rule out other diagnoses. Swallowing studies can be done to evaluate a patient's ability to swallow food and liquid safely.

Review Date: 7/13/2004
Reviewed By: Joseph V. Campellone, M.D., Division of Neurology, Cooper University Hospital, Camden, NJ. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

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