Oromandibular dystonia and laryngospasm are defined as paraneoplastic
syndromes of anti-Ri antibody. Herein, we report a 50-year-old woman
admitted to the outpatient clinic with cervical contraction, speech and
gait disturbance, and mental deterioration persisting for one year. She
was diagnosed with undifferentiated nasopharyngeal carcinoma during
further examination for two years of tinnitus and underwent radiotherapy.
Her neurological symptoms started six months after radiotherapy.
During this period, she underwent a tracheostomy due to a sudden
laryngospasm. Anti-Ri antibody was positive in the paraneoplastic
antibody screening. Her cervical dystonia and mental deterioration
partially improved with intravenous pulse steroid and immunoglobulin
therapies. However, the patient deceased due to aspiration pneumonia
after six months. This rare clinical presentation, characterized by cervical
dystonia, laryngospasm, spastic quadriparesis, and mental deterioration,
should be considered anti-Ri antibody-associated paraneoplastic
syndrome for patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma.
Keywords: Anti-Ri antibody, cervical dystonia, laryngospasm,
nasopharyngeal carcinoma