title: Deep brain stimulation of the nucleus ventralis intermedius for Holmes (rubral) tremor and associated dystonia caused by upper brainstem lesions. Report of two cases.
abstract: Holmes tremor is caused by structural lesions in the perirubral area of the midbrain. Patients often present with associated symptoms such as dystonia and paresis, which are usually refractory to medical therapy. Here, the authors describe two patients in whom both tremor and associated dystonia improved markedly following unilateral stimulation of the thalamic nucleus ventralis intermedius.
authors.affiliation: Department of Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery, Neurocenter, Albert-Ludwigs-University, Freiburg, Germany. nikkhah@ukl.uni-freiburg.de
authors.forename: Guido
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Nikkhah
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Prokop
authors.forename: Bernhard
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Hellwig
authors.forename: Carl Hermann
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Lücking
authors.forename: Christoph B
authors.initials: CB
authors.lastname: Ostertag
mesh_terms: D001259:Ataxia / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy*; D001933:Brain Stem / Q000473:pathology*; D002544:Cerebral Infarction / Q000150:complications*; D004421:Dystonia / Q000209:etiology; D004599:Electric Stimulation Therapy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D020651:Ventral Thalamic Nuclei / Q000502:physiology*