Man-in-the-barrel syndrome as an atypical form of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis

Abstract

The “Man-in-the-barrel syndrome” makes reference to a picture of bilateral brachial muscular weakness, which incapacitates the patients in functional activities with upper limbs elevation. Since its description, there are several cases described of patients with this syndrome, whose etiology differs from the first one described. We read the article by Sasaki et al. “Atypical form of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: a new term to define a previously well-known form of ALS” (2000), concerning the atypical form of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The pattern of muscular atrophy in these patients differed from that of typical ALS in that severe muscle involvement was confined to the upper limbs, predominantly the proximal portion and shoulder girdle.