Muhammad Umair, Bruce Janati and N.Alghasab
Accepted Abstracts: J Neurol Neurophysiol
Introduction:Trismus is a motor disturbance of the trigeminal nerve, especially spasm of the masticatory muscles, resulting in difficulty in opening the mouth. It has a number of potential causes which range from the simple and non-progressive to those that are potentially life-threatening. In this paper we report for the first time the occurrence of trismus in the post ictal state. Methods: This was a case study conducted at King Khalid Hospital. Results: After a series of generalized convulsive seizures the patient developed a sustained trismus in the postictal phase, lasting for three days. Conclusion: A number of physiological and metabolic factors have been implicated in the termination of seizure activity and transition to post-ictal state by creating inhibitory signals. In our patient the trismus may have signified a partial failure of the afore-mentioned inhibitory mechanisms at the mesencephalic-pontine level, causing a disruption of projections of the mesencephalic trigeminal nucleus to the pontine nucleus, resulting in a state of hypertonicity in the latter.
