Directional Deep Brain Stimulation of the Thalamic Ventral Intermediate Area for Essential Tremor Increases Therapeutic Window.

Objectives: Deep brain stimulation (DBS) of the posterior subthalamic area (PSA) and the ventral intermediate thalamic nucleus (VIM) is a well-established therapy for essential tremor (ET), but it is frequently associated with side effects like dysarthria or gait ataxia. Directional DBS (dDBS) may be a way to activate fiber tracts more selectively. Is dDBS for ET superior to omnidirectional DBS (oDBS) regarding therapeutic window and clinically as effective as oDBS?

Materials And Methods: Ten patients with ET treated with PSA/VIM-DBS were recruited.