Opisthotonos

Home care:

Hospital care is required for a person who develops opisthotonos.

Call your health care provider if:

THIS SYMPTOM SHOULD BE REPORTED TO THE HEALTH CARE PROVIDER AT ONCE! This is often a late symptom of disease and generally other symptoms will have alerted the parent to the need for medical evaluation prior to the appearance of opisthotonos.

What to expect at your health care provider's office:

This condition will be evaluated in a hospital setting. Emergency measures will be taken as appropriate.

The medical history will be obtained and a physical examination will be performed.

Medical history questions documenting opisthotonos in detail may include:

• When did this behavior start?
• Is it always the same type of posturing?
• What other symptoms preceded or accompanied the abnormal posturing (particularly fever, stiff neck, headache, but also any others)?
• Is there any significant medical history (such as a recent illness)?

The physical examination will include a complete assessment of the nervous system.

The cause of the opisthotonos will be suggested by the history and physical examination. Diagnostic tests may include:

• lumbar puncture and analysis of the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF culture, CSF cell counts, and similar studies), electrolyte analysis
• CT scan of the head
• MRI of the head

After seeing your health care provider:
You may want to add a diagnosis related to opisthotonos to your personal medical record.