Decerebrate rigidity: what is this, symptoms, diagnostics, treatment, prevention

Synonyms: Decerebrate rigidity, Decerebrate posture; The decerebrate posture

Opisthotonos – decerebrate posture; Abnormal posturing – decerebrate posture; Traumatic brain injury – decerebrate posture; Decorticate posture – decerebrate posture

What is decerebrate rigidity

Decerebrate posture is an abnormal body position, in which the arms and legs are straight, and fingers "look" down at them, а голова и шея в то же самое время – назад. Muscles tighten and become stiff. This type of posture usually means, that there are serious and severe brain damage (this is a common cause of decerebrate posture).

Opisthotonus (severe spasms of the muscles of the neck and back) may occur in severe cases of decerebrate posture (posture).

Decerebrate posture may be on one side, on both sides of the body or just in the arms.

It may alternate with another type of disorder, called decortication rigidity. The person also has decortication rigidity on one side of the body and decerebrate rigidity on the other side..

Causes of Decerebrate Rigidity

Causes of decerebrate posture include:

• Cerebral hemorrhage from any cause
• brain stem tumor
• Stroke
• Brain problems from-for drug, poisoning or infection
• Traumatic brain injury
• Brain problem due to liver failure
• Increased pressure in the brain for any reason
• Encephaloma
• Infection, such as meningitis
• Reye's syndrome (sudden brain damage and liver function problems, that hurt children)
• Brain injury from lack of oxygen

What to do with decerebrate rigidity

If a person has decerebrate rigidity, he must be immediately taken to a medical facility.

When to See a Doctor for Decerebrate Stiffness

Decerebrate rigidity is the reason for an emergency visit to a doctor and an ambulance call.

What will the doctor do when diagnosing decerebrate rigidity

Patient needs immediate emergency care. It involves inserting a breathing tube into the lungs. The person will be immediately hospitalized and placed in an intensive care unit..

As soon as the patient's condition stabilizes, the doctor will ask family members or friends about medical history and perform a more complete physical exam. It will include a thorough study of the brain and nervous system.

Family members will be asked questions about the person's medical history, including:

• When the symptoms started?
• Has the patient had similar problems before??
• Whether there were head injuries or other brain diseases?
• What other symptoms appeared before the onset of decerebrate rigidity?

Tests may include:

• Blood tests and urine, screening for drugs and toxic substances, as well as the presence of certain chemicals in the body
• Angiography of the brain (injection of a radiopaque dye and x-rays of blood vessels in the brain)
• CT or Head MRI
• EEG (brain wave testing)
• Monitoring of intracranial pressure (ICP)
• Poyasnichnaya puncture for collection of cerebrospinal fluid

The prospects for recovery depend on the cause of the decerebrate rigidity.. The victim may have severe damage to the brain and nervous system, which may lead to:

• To whom
• inability to communicate
• paralysis
• convulsions

Sources

1. Ball JW, Dains JE, Flynn JA, Solomon BS, Stewart RW. Neurologic system. In: Ball JW, Dains JE, Flynn JA, Solomon BS, Stewart RW, eds. Seidel’s Guide to Physical Examination. 9th ed. St Louis, MO: Elsevier; 2019:chap 23.
2. Hamati AI, Felker MV. Neurological complications of systemic disease: children. In: Jankovic J, Mazziotta JC, Pomeroy SL, Newman NJ, eds. Bradley and Daroff’s Neurology in Clinical Practice. 8th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2022:chap 59.
3. Bostwick TL. Altered mental status and coma. In: Bakes KM, Buchanan JA, Moreira ME, Byyny R, Pons PT, eds. Emergency Medicine Secrets. 7th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2022:chap 14.