Meige’s syndrome or segmental craniocervical dystonia: Terminology, history and contemporary view

Abstract

The term «Meige’s syndrome» or «Breughel’s syndrome» is used by specialists for the description of blepharospasm with the involuntary movements in the lower part of the face and/or masseter muscle. These eponyms «Meige’s syndrome» and «Breughel’s syndrome» make some mess in the terminology. The term «segmental craniocervical dystonia» joins different blepharospam-plus phenotypes and reflects contemporary perceptions about its genetic and pathophysiological community. Botulinotherapy is in fact the only way of symptomathic treatment of craniocervical dystonias.