DBS for ET (AAN 2000)

Subject: DBS for ET (AAN 2000)

Date: 5/4/2000

E-MOVE reports from the 52nd Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Neurology, held in San Diego, California, 30 April-5 May 2000. Citation numbers below refer to abstracts of presentations and posters, which are published in Neurology 2000;54(suppl.3).

Long-term follow-up of deep brain stimulation (DBS) of the thalamus for treatment of essential tremor (ET)
WC Koller, KE Lyons, SB Wilkinson, AI Troster, R Pahwa
S40.004

Deep brain stimulation of the thalamus is an effective long-term treatment for essential tremor, according to this study.

Twenty-one patients with ET insufficiently controlled by medication with average disease duration of 35.4 years received unilateral DBS to the thalamus. Average follow-up after surgery was 40 months. Tremor motor scores were improved by approximately 50% compared to baseline, with all patients showing improvement with the stimulator on, and none showing improvement with it off. Common adverse events include paresthesias at start of stimulation, headache, and paresis. Koller noted, however, "These adverse events were mild and easily managed with changes in the electrode settings." More serious adverse events involved the stimulator device itself, with 18 additional procedures required to correct malfunction, breakage, or electrode shifts. Koller noted that more recent procedures at their center tended to be more free of complications than earlier ones.

"Deep brain stimulation is an effective long-term treatment for essential tremor," Koller concluded. "Our patients improved dramatically in function, with many of them regaining the ability to drink, eat food, and write after surgery."

E-MOVE Editor: Richard Robinson, NASW, WE MOVE

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