Should We Treat Musician's Dystonia with Thalamotomy?

Long-term follow-up data suggest the technique is useful but perhaps best reserved for when other options have failed.

Researchers present long-term follow-up data on the use of unilateral ventro-oral thalamotomy in 15 patients with musician's dystonia operated on over a 7-year period. All patients had medically intractable focal hand dystonia specific to playing a musical instrument. Brain lesions were placed in the hemisphere contralateral to the musician's dystonia. ()

The Tubiana musician's dystonia scale was the main outcome variable.

Fourteen of 15 patients had improvement, reported as immediate and sustained for a mean of 31 months (range, 4–108 months). The mean Tubiana scale score was 2.7 preoperatively and 4.6 both immediately and ultimately postoperatively. One patient had postoperative weakness, and four patients had at least transient dysart…

Reviewing Author

Michael S. Okun, MD

Disclosures

Consultant/Advisory BoardParkinson’s Foundation; Tourette Association of America

Speaker’s BureauMedscape/WebMD CME, Movement Disorders Society CME, American Academy of Neurology CME

RoyaltiesBooks4Patients; Demos; Cambridge; Taylor and Francis; Robert Rose; Public Affairs

Grant/Research SupportNational Institutes of Health; Parkinson’s Foundation; Tourette Association of America; University of Florida Foundation

Editorial BoardsTremor and Other Hyperkinetic Movements; JAMA Neurology

Leadership Positions in Professional SocietiesParkinson’s Foundation (Medical Advisor)