title: Stereotactic thalamotomy for medically intractable essential tremor.
abstract: Objective surgical symptomatic outcome of ventrolateral (VL) thalamotomy specifically for essential tremor is uncommonly reported and functional outcome has not been investigated previously. In the present series, 7 patients underwent unilateral and 1 patient staged bilateral VL thalamotomies for disabling medically refractory essential tremor. At follow-up examination (mean 17.3 months, range 1-50 months), all patients enjoyed complete ablation or significant amelioration of the targeted tremor. Disability as determined by a modified form of an established rating scale for tremor was reduced from moderate (57%) or severe (43%) to absent (86%) or mild (14%). Interestingly, voice tremor was ablated or significantly improved in 71.4% of patients with preoperative voice tremor.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn.
authors.forename: M S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Goldman
authors.forename: P J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Kelly
mesh_terms: D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D007839:Functional Laterality; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013060:Speech; D013238:Stereotaxic Techniques; D013788:Thalamus / Q000601:surgery*; D014202:Tremor / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery*