Progressive Dystonia Following Resuscitation from Cardiac Arrest

We report a case of a 55-year-old man in whom progressive extrapyramidal disease developed nearly 1 year after resuscitation from cardiopulmonary arrest. Parkinsonian features evolved within 3 months, and progressive generalized dystonia developed after 11 months. CT and MRI revealed bilateral basal ganglia infarction. Autopsy after 4 years of illness showed bilateral basal ganglia necrosis with preserved corticospinal tracts. These findings support earlier suggestions that postinfarction dystonia is mediated by a pyramidal system lacking normal striatal control.