Opisthotonos

Injury	Disease	Nutrition	Poison

Symptoms	Surgery	Test	Special Topic

Overview

Treatment

Opisthotonos

Definition:

Opisthotonos is a condition of abnormal posturing characterized by rigidity and severe arching of the back, with the head thrown backward. If a person with opisthotonos were laid on his or her back, only the back of the head and the heels would touch the supporting surface.

Considerations:

Opisthotonos may occur in infants with meningitis, where it is a sign of irritation of the membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord (meninges). It may also occur as a sign of depressed brain function or injury to the nervous system.

Opisthotonos is much more common in infants and children than in adults. It is also more exaggerated in infants and children because of their less mature nervous systems.

Common Causes:

Meningitis
Arnold-Chiari syndrome
Subarachnoid hemorrhage
Tetanus
Brain tumor
Severe head injury
Glutaric aciduria and organic acidemias
Gaucher disease
Krabbe Disease
Achondroplastic dwarfism (occasionally)

Drugs, particularly phenothiazines and other antipsychotic medications, can cause a side effect known as acute dystonic reaction. Opisthotonos may be part of this reaction.

Review Date: 7/28/2005
Reviewed By: Kevin Sheth, M.D., Department of Neurology, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

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