A 65- year-old woman presented with proximal muscle weakness and unsteady gait. The symptoms started four years ago when she experienced progressive weakness of the upper and lower extremities leading to recurrent falls. She has no family history of similar symptoms or genetic disease. Examination revealed dropped head, scapular winging, inability to raise the arms above her shoulders, hand weakness, and bilateral foot drop. Her gait was unsteady with a mix of waddling and steppage.
Creatine kinase and alkaline phosphatase levels were normal. MRI of spine revealed mild degenerative disc disease from C4-C7 and disc bulges at L3-L4 through L5-S1. The nerve conduction studies showed mixed myopathic and neurogenic changes with ongoing denervation in cervical and lumbar segments suggestive of motor neuronopathy. Genetic testing was remarkable for a heterozygous pathogenic mutation in VCP (c.464G>A, p. arg155his).