Possible necessity for deep brain stimulation of both the ventralis intermedius and subthalamic nuclei to resolve Holmes tremor

2003 ◽  
Vol 99 (3) ◽  
pp. 566-571 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pantaleo Romanelli ◽  
Helen Bronté-Stewart ◽  
Tracy Courtney ◽  
Gary Heit

✓ Holmes tremor is characterized by resting, postural, and intention tremor. Deep brain stimulation (DBS) of both the nucleus ventralis intermedius (Vim) and the subthalamic nucleus (STN) may be required to control these three tremor components. A 79-year-old man presented with a long-standing combination of resting, postural, and intention tremor, which was associated with severe disability and was resistant to medical treatment. Neuroimaging studies failed to reveal areas of discrete brain damage. A DBS device was placed in the Vim and produced an improvement in both the intention and postural tremor, but there was residual resting tremor, as demonstrated by clinical observation and quantitative tremor analysis. Placement of an additional DBS device in the STN resolved the resting tremor. Stimulation of the Vim or STN alone failed to produce global resolution of mixed tremor, whereas combined Vim—STN stimulation produced global relief without creating noticeable side effects. Combined Vim—STN stimulation can thus be a safe and effective treatment for Holmes tremor.

2002 ◽  
Vol 96 (4) ◽  
pp. 666-672 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tanya Simuni ◽  
Jurg L. Jaggi ◽  
Heather Mulholland ◽  
Howard I. Hurtig ◽  
Amy Colcher ◽  
...  

Object. Palliative neurosurgery has reemerged as a valid therapy for patients with advanced Parkinson disease (PD) that is complicated by severe motor fluctuations. Despite great enthusiasm for long-term deep brain stimulation (DBS) of the subthalamic nucleus (STN), existing reports on this treatment are limited. The present study was designed to investigate the safety and efficacy of bilateral stimulation of the STN for the treatment of PD. Methods. In 12 patients with severe PD, electrodes were stereotactically implanted into the STN with the assistance of electrophysiological conformation of the target location. All patients were evaluated preoperatively during both medication-off and -on conditions, as well as postoperatively at 3, 6, and 12 months during medication-on and -off states and stimulation-on and -off conditions. Tests included assessments based on the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) and timed motor tests. The stimulation effect was significant in patients who were in the medication-off state, resulting in a 47% improvement in the UPDRS Part III (Motor Examination) score at 12 months, compared with preoperative status. The benefit was stable for the duration of the follow-up period. Stimulation produced no additional benefit during the medication-on state, however, when compared with patient preoperative status. Significant improvements were made in reducing dyskinesias, fluctuations, and duration of off periods. Conclusions. This study demonstrates that DBS of the STN is an effective treatment for patients with advanced, medication-refractory PD. Deep brain stimulation of the STN produced robust improvements in motor performance in these severely disabled patients while they were in the medication-off state. Serious adverse events were common in this cohort; however, only two patients suffered permanent sequelae.


2017 ◽  
Vol 42 (videosuppl2) ◽  
pp. V1 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hiroki Toda ◽  
Namiko Nishida ◽  
Koichi Iwasaki

Holmes tremor is often treated with multiple deep brain stimulation (DBS) electrodes. The authors describe a novel technique to suppress the tremors by effectively utilizing a single electrode.A 16-year-old boy presented with severe right arm tremor following a midbrain injury. A DBS electrode was implanted into the ventral oralis nucleus of the thalamus (VO) and the subthalamic region. While individual stimulation of each target was ineffective, an interleaved dual stimulation of both targets has been effective for 6 years.Coaxial interleaved stimulation of the VO and the subthalamic region is useful for treating Holmes tremor.The video can be found here: https://youtu.be/tSwGh3vy68c.


2005 ◽  
Vol 102 (1) ◽  
pp. 53-59 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hans-Holger Capelle ◽  
Richard K. Simpson ◽  
Martin Kronenbuerger ◽  
Jochen Michaelsen ◽  
Volker Tronnier ◽  
...  

Object. Deep brain stimulation (DBS) has become an accepted therapy for movement disorders such as Parkinson disease (PD) and essential tremor (ET), when these conditions are refractory to medical treatment. The presence of a cardiac pacemaker is still considered a contraindication for DBS in functional neurosurgery. The goal of this study was to evaluate the technical and clinical management of DBS for the treatment of movement disorders in elderly patients with cardiac pacemakers. Methods. Six patients with cardiac pacemakers underwent clinical and cardiac examinations to analyze the safety of DBS in the treatment of movement disorders. Four patients suffered from advanced PD and two patients had ET. The mean age of these patients at surgery was 69.5 years (range 63–79 years). The settings of the pacemakers were programmed in a manner considered to minimize the chance of interference between the two systems. There were no adverse events during surgery. Four patients underwent stimulation of the thalamic ventralis intermedius nucleus (VIM), and two patients stimulation of the subthalamic nucleus. In general, bipolar sensing was chosen for the cardiac pacemakers. In all but one patient the quadripolar DBS electrodes were programmed for bipolar stimulation. Several control electrocardiography studies, including 24-hour monitoring, did not show any interference between the two systems. At the time this paper was written the patients had been followed up for a mean of 25.3 months (range 4–48 months). Conclusions. In certain conditions it is safe for patients with cardiac pacemakers to receive DBS for treatment of concomitant movement disorders. Cardiac pacemakers should not be viewed as a general contraindication for DBS in patients with movement disorders.


2000 ◽  
Vol 93 (1) ◽  
pp. 127-128 ◽  
Author(s):  
Albert E. Telfeian ◽  
John A. Boockvar ◽  
Tanya Simuni ◽  
Jurg Jaggi ◽  
Brett Skolnick ◽  
...  

✓ Deep brain stimulation (DBS) of the ventralis intermedius nucleus (Vim) is a safe and effective treatment for essential tremor. Bipolar disorder and essential tremor had each been reported to occur in association with Klinefelter syndrome but the three diseases have been reported to occur together in only one patient. The genetic basis and natural history of these disorders are not completely understood and may be related rather than coincidental. The authors report on a 23-year-old man with Klinefelter syndrome (47,XXY) and bipolar disorder who was treated successfully with unilateral DBS of the thalamic Vim for essential tremor.


2004 ◽  
Vol 100 (6) ◽  
pp. 1079-1083 ◽  
Author(s):  
Guido Nikkhah ◽  
Thomas Prokop ◽  
Bernhard Hellwig ◽  
Carl Hermann Lücking ◽  
Christoph B. Ostertag

✓ 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.


2015 ◽  
Vol 38 (4) ◽  
pp. 753-763 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jairo Alberto Espinoza Martinez ◽  
Gabriel J. Arango ◽  
Erich Talamoni Fonoff ◽  
Thomas Reithmeier ◽  
Oscar Andrés Escobar ◽  
...  

Neurosurgery ◽  
2005 ◽  
Vol 56 (4) ◽  
pp. E868-E868 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mary Say Payne ◽  
Benjamin Lyons Brown ◽  
Jayaraman Rao ◽  
Bryan Rankin Payne

Abstract OBJECTIVE AND IMPORTANCE: Phenylketonuria (PKU) is an inborn error of metabolism that causes severe neurological impairment, despite dietary treatment. We present a case of PKU-induced cerebellar tremor treated with deep brain stimulation. There have been no previously reported cases of a patient with a PKU tremor treated with deep brain stimulation. CLINICAL PRESENTATION: A 36-year-old male patient with PKU presented with signs of cerebellar disease including dysmetria, resting tremor, and intention tremor in the left upper extremity. INTERVENTION: A deep brain stimulation electrode was placed in the ventral intermediate nucleus of the right thalamus. CONCLUSION: Immediately after surgery, the patient had nearly complete resolution of intention tremor in the left arm. His resting tremor in the left hand was also greatly improved. The 30-month follow-up examination revealed maintenance of the immediate postoperative improvement.


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