Focal limb dystonia caused by a complication of the cerebellar developmental venous anomaly: a case report

BACKGROUND: There are no established theories regarding the role of the cerebellum in dystonia. We report a case of focal limb dystonia secondary to a vasogenic edema of the dentate nucleus caused by a symptomatic developmental venous anomaly. CASE PRESENTATION: A 44-year-old woman presented with sudden onset dystonia in her left arm for 1 week. Brain imaging revealed vasogenic edema in the deep white matter of the left cerebellar hemisphere, including the left dentate nucleus, secondary to a developmental venous anomaly. (18)F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography images showed hypometabolism in the corresponding cerebellar deep nuclei without the involvement of other brain regions. She was treated with a steroid. At the one-month follow-up, computed tomography scan demonstrated remission of the cerebellar edema, which was thought to be the cause of dystonia. CONCLUSIONS: This case demonstrates that the cerebellum has an important role in the development of dystonia. Further studies are needed to elucidate the relationship between dystonia and cerebellar dysfunction. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (10.1186/s12883-019-1446-8) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.