Deep brain stimulation of globuspallidusinternus for dystonia

Objective To study the effects of high-frequency deep brain stimulation (DBS) of globuspallidusintemus (GPi) in the treatment for severe dystonia.Methods Six patients with primary dystonia and two with secondary dystonia were included in this study.The DBS electrodes were implanted within the bilateral-GPi in all patients.The follow-up time was ranged from 12 to 36 months.Preoperative and postoperative evaluations were performed using the Burk-Fahn-Marsden scale and the Toronto Western Spasmodic Torticollis Rating Scale.Results With the exception of one case,all patients showed inhomogeneous improvement (35.5％ ～ 87.5％).The best improvement was achieved in patients with primary dystonia.The DBS equipment was pulled out at last due to incision infection.Conclusions GPi-DBS is a new and promising treatment option for dystonia. Key words: Dystonia;  Deep brain stimulation;  Globuspallidusinternus;  Stimulation parameters