[Treatment of Parkinson tremor by chronic stimulation of the ventral intermediate nucleus of the thalamus].
Stereotactic ventral intermediate nucleus (Vim) thalamotomy may improve drug resistant severe parkinsonian tremor. However, tremor may recur and bilateral thalamotomy is known to induce unacceptable side effects in a proportion of patients. A high frequency (130 Hz) chronic Vim stimulation was performed in 4 parkinsonian patients, 2 of them having previously undergone a thalamotomy on the other side. Tremor was suppressed in all patients at the price of slight paresthesias. This improvement has been lasting from 2 to 14 months. Beneficial and adverse effects were suppressed at once each time the stimulation was stopped. These preliminary results are encouraging but a longer delay and more patients are obviously needed.
Benabid
A L
AL
Service de Neurochirurgie, Hôpital A. Michallon, CHRU de Grenoble.
Pollak
P
P
Hommel
M
M
Gaio
J M
JM
de Rougemont
J
J
Perret
J
J
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D004599:Electric Stimulation Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010300:Parkinson Disease / Q000628:therapy*; D013238:Stereotaxic Techniques; D013787:Thalamic Nuclei; D013788:Thalamus / Q000601:surgery; D014202:Tremor / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy*
Traitement du tremblement parkinsonien par stimulation chronique du noyau ventral intermédaire du thalamus.