Camptocormia, a Rare Complication of Hemorrhagic Stroke: A Case Report

Abstract

Camptocormia (bent spine syndrome) is a rare complication after hemorrhagic stroke. It is a disabling, acquired postural abnormality that has a significant impact on a patient's physical function and quality of life and is more often seen in patients with Parkinson's disease. Treatment strategies pertaining to this condition can be broadly divided into invasive which involved deep brain stimulation and spinal fixation operation versus non-invasive approaches like physiotherapy, orthosis and drugs. However, most of the treatments described in the past are mainly for Parkinson's patients with camptocormia, and none are for camptocormia from hemorrhagic stroke. We report a rare case of camptocormia in a posthemorrhagic stroke patient whose rehabilitation progress was greatly impeded by this axial postural deformity and who responded well to Madopar treatment with an improvement in total camptocormia angle from 90 degrees to about 30 degrees, which translated to an improvement in physical function and reduction in care burden.