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CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 · Arq Neuropsiquiatr 2021; 79(09): 853
DOI: 10.1590/0004-282X-ANP-2020-0461
Images in Neurology

Hemihypomimia: an atypical and interesting feature of Parkinson's disease

Hemihipomimia: um sinal infrequente e interessante da doença de Parkinson
Bárbara Santos Panichelli 
1   Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Hospital Universitário Pedro Ernesto, Serviço de Neurologia, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil.
,
Mariana Spitz 
1   Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Hospital Universitário Pedro Ernesto, Serviço de Neurologia, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil.
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Bradykinesia is a key feature of Parkinson's disease (PD)[1]. In contrast to facial bradykinesia, limb bradykinesia is a well described phenomenon. Hypomimia develops in almost all PD patients[2] as a symmetrical feature. Hemihypomimia is a rare manifestation seen mostly, but not exclusively, on right-sided PD[2]. We present images of two patients with hemihypomimia ([Figure 1]).

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Figure 1 (A) A 52-year old man, diagnosed to have PD presents marked right-side hypomimia; (B): A 46-year old man diagnosed with PD displaying evident right-sided hypomimia.

Understanding the underlying mechanisms of how hemihypomimia develops, and why it predominantly affects the right side of the face deserves further assessment. Larger case series are needed to elucidate the pathophysiology and clinical implications of this interesting feature of PD.

Authors’ contribution:

BSP: was involved in conceptualization and writing original draft; MS: was involved in conceptualization, writing, review and editing the article.




Publication History

Received: 02 October 2020

Accepted: 14 February 2021

Article published online:
01 June 2023

© 2021. Academia Brasileira de Neurologia. This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonDerivative-NonCommercial License, permitting copying and reproduction so long as the original work is given appropriate credit. Contents may not be used for commecial purposes, or adapted, remixed, transformed or built upon. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)

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  • References

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  • 2 Ozekmekçi S, Benbir G, Ozdogan FY, Ertan S, Kiziltan ME.Hemihypomimia, a rare persistent sign in Parkinson's disease: follow up of 11 patients. J Neurol. 2007 Mar;254(3):347-50.