Deep Brain Stimulation

Spasmodic dysphonia is considered a primary focal dystonia. Involuntary laryngeal muscle spasms resulting in loss of voluntary control of the vocal cords during speech production is the hallmark of the disease. The disorder most commonly presents as the adductor type (AdSD) manifested by spasmodic bursts especially during vowel pronunciation. There have not been previous reports of deep brain stimulation of any target resulting in improvement in spasmodic dysphonia. Essential tremor patients who undergo thalamic DBS generally have a sustained long-term response to chronic stimulation. Studies are needed to confirm, particularly in patients with pure spasmodic dysphonia or SD in the setting of segmental or generalized dystonia. Bilateral stimulation of the Vim nucleus of the thalamus may be a viable long-term treatment for patients with severe spasmodic dysphonia who experience inadequate improvement with pharmacotherapy including botulinum toxin injections. Although unilateral thalamic stimulation had some effect on SD in our patient, bilateral stimulation resulted in more profound improvement of vocal quality

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Last date updated on April, 2024