Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To review the initial historical description of asterixis, understand the etymology of the term and trace advances in the understanding of its meaning. BACKGROUND: The initial description of asterixis was by Raymond Adams and Joseph Foley in the 1940s. Over subsequent decades we have learned much about the causes and patterns of asterixis. Various terms related to asterixis have been suggested. DESIGN/METHODS: A PubMed search was conducted with the terms “asterixis” and “negative myoclonus” from 1949 to 2014. Personal communications from Raymond Adams, MD and Joseph Foley, MD were obtained. RESULTS: In the 1940s liver specialists at the Thorndike Laboratory at Boston City Hospital noted abnormal movements in their patients. They informally referred to as “liver flap.” Others realized that this movement disorder occurred in metabolic encephalopathies other than hepatic cases and that unilateral asterixis occurred with focal brain lesions. Seeking a formal term for this phenomenon, Foley consulted a Jesuit classics scholar from Boston College. As Foley and Father Cadigan drank metaxa at the Athens Olympia Café, Foley explained the asynchronous flapping. From ancient Greek the Jesuit created a term: an (negative) - iso (equal) - sterixis (solidity or firmness). Foley and Adams realized that this word,“anisosterixis,” was too polysyllabic to be useful on the hospital wards, so it was shortened to “asterixis.” The term asterixis has been accepted all over the world, in part due to the pervasive influence of the Harrison text book of medicine of which Adams was an editor and author. Some have referred to asterixis as a form of negative myoclonus. Other terms, including pseudo-asterixis, and mini-asterixis, are also discussed. CONCLUSIONS: The term asterixis has a rich history and it is important to understand its terminology and how its meaning has evolved.
Disclosure: Dr. Pal has nothing to disclose. Dr. Lin has nothing to disclose. Dr. Laureno has nothing to disclose.
Thursday, April 23 2015, 1:00 pm-2:45 pm
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