Essential tremor (ET),characterized by a postural and/or kinetic tremor and primarily manifested in the upper extremities,head,and other parts of the body,is one of the most common neurological disorders.1 The traditional target for the neurosurgical treatment of ET,the ventral intermedius nucleus (Vim) of the thalamus,has confirmed that chronic deep brain stimulation (DBS) is an effective,standard,and primary procedure for ET.However,the loss of tremor suppression due to tolerance of chronic Vim stimulation,accompanied by other adverse effects,such as paresthesias,dysarthria,dysequilibrium,hyperhidrosis,and localized pain,has necessitated changes in the stimulation target in some patients.Therefore,an alternative target for ET stimulation is required.Although targeting the subthalamic nucleus (STN) also has complications,such as dyskinesia,dysarthria,paresthesias,diplopia,mood changes,depression,and restless leg syndrome,in view of the evidence that STN could be the target for patients with tremors associated with Parkinson's disease (PD),STN was elected in two ET patients in our study with positive effects.Our research is reported to have explored the possibilities of STN-DBS in the treatment of ET.
Essential tremor (ET), characterized by a postural and/or kinetic tremor and primarily manifested in theupper extremities, head, and other parts of the body, is one of the most common neurological disorders.1 The traditional target for the neurosurgical treatment of ET, the ventral intermedius nucleus (Vim) of the thalamus, has confirmed that chronic deep brain stimulation (DBS1 is an effective, standard, and primary procedure for ET. However, the loss of tremor suppression due to tolerance of chronic Vim stimulation, accompanied by other adverse effects, such as paresthesias, dysarthria, dysequilibrium, hyperhidrosis, and localized pain, has necessitated changes in the stimulation target in some patients.