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In this double-blinded, partially manufacturer-supported, multicenter study, researchers assessed the efficacy of pallidal deep brain stimulation (DBS) for primary dystonia in 40 patients who had stimulators implanted and then were randomized to receive either active or sham stimulation for 3 months. In an open-label extension phase, 36 patients received 6 months of stimulation (3 additional months in the active group, 6 months in the sham group).
The primary finding was that at 3 months, patients receiving stimulation improved by 39% on the Burke-Fahn-Marsden dystonia-severity scale, compared with a less than 5% improvement in those receiving sham stimulation, a significant and striking difference. The benefit with stimulation persisted dur…