Video Protocols and Techniques for Movement Disorders

Abstract Movement-disorder neurology is an inherently visual-based subspecialty in which the type of movement, its distribution, and its impact on activities or rest are the most important elements that lead to accurate diagnosis. No amount of words in a chart can convey as much useful information as the direct visualization of the patient at rest and during activity. Despite the importance of videotaping to the field, there has been no standardization of protocols for videotaping movement disorders patients. Video recordings help document the phenomenology of the movements, their anatomical distributions, their impact on activities of daily living, and responses to treatment. Further, they are teaching tools that can help educate health professionals so that they can rate the severity of a given disorder, providing a visual document to review and discuss with one’s peers. The challenges of visual recording are several, and we will cover technical issues as well as medical decisions on exactly what to film and how to capture the essential features of a given patient’s disorder. We have chosen videos out of our recent practice that represent the “real life,” practical application of videotaping in practice. The most important overall impact of careful videotaping is improved patient care.