Chorea and contraceptives: Case report with PET study and review of the literature

Chorea is a well-recognized but rare complication or oral contraceptive use. A 27-year-old woman developed right hemichorea while taking an oral contraceptive (OC). No other causes of chorea were found. A positron emission tomography (PET) study with 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose demonstrated a dense focus of increased glucose metabolism involving the body of the left caudate nucleus. To our knowledge this is the first report of a PET study in a patient with OC- induced chorea in the absence of systemic lupus erythematosus or antiphospholipid antibodies. (authors)