title: Long-term Follow-up of MDD Patients Who Respond to Deep rTMS: A Brief Report.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Deep transcranial magnetic stimulation (dTMS) is effective in treatment of Major Depressive Disorder (MDD), and in re-treatment in case of relapse. Our study evaluates the long-term durability of dTMS in MDD.
  
  
  METHODS
  Seventeen patients that responded to dTMS treatment evaluated. Follow-up period was 9.3 months. Patients were considered as relapsed if: HDRS (Hamilton Depression Rating Scale) score was 16 points or more, in case of change in antidepressants, hospitalization due to exacerbation, referral to ECT.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Six months after last treatment three patients relapsed (17.6%). During the follow-up of 9.3 months, nine relapsed. Relapse rate was 5.6 per 100 person-months. Patients continued to improve in HDRS following the treatment. We have found number of treatment sessions, stimulation, age, age of depressive disorder onset, length of depressive episode prior to the first treatment, as well as number of depressive episodes to have no predictive value regarding propensity to relapse in these patients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The study's main limitations are the relatively small sample size, patients differing in follow-up periods and the lack of a control group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Relapse rates after dTMS are comparable to pharmacotherapy and ECT.
authors.affiliation: Beer Ya'acov Mental Health Center affiliated to Sackler School of Medicine, University of Tel Aviv, Tel Aviv, Israel.
authors.forename: Oded
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Rosenberg
authors.affiliation: Beer Ya'acov Mental Health Center affiliated to Sackler School of Medicine, University of Tel Aviv, Tel Aviv, Israel.
authors.forename: Limor
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Dinur Klein
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.A.
authors.forename: Roman
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Gersner
authors.affiliation: Beer Ya'acov Mental Health Center affiliated to Sackler School of Medicine, University of Tel Aviv, Tel Aviv, Israel.
authors.forename: Moshe
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kotler
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Natural Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel.
authors.forename: Abraham
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Zangen
authors.affiliation: Beer Ya'acov Mental Health Center affiliated to Sackler School of Medicine, University of Tel Aviv, Tel Aviv, Israel.
authors.forename: Pinhas
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Dannon
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003865:Major Depressive Disorder / Q000628:therapy*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012008:Recurrence; D050781:Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation / Q000379:methods*; D055815:Young Adult