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Review
. 2010 Jan;11(1):5-15.
doi: 10.1517/14656560903426171.

Treatment strategies for dystonia

Leslie J Cloud  1 , H A Jinnah
Affiliations
Review

Treatment strategies for dystonia

Leslie J Cloud et al. Expert Opin Pharmacother. 2010 Jan.

Abstract

Importance of the field: Dystonia is a neurological syndrome characterized by involuntary twisting movements and unnatural postures. It has many different manifestations and causes, and many different treatment options are available. These options include physical and occupational therapy, oral medications, intramuscular injection of botulinum toxins, and neurosurgical interventions.

Areas covered in this review: In this review, we first summarize the treatment options available, then we provide suggestions from our own experience for how these can be applied in different types of dystonia. In preparing this review article, an extensive literature search was undertaken using PubMed. Only selected references from 1970 to 2008 are cited.

What the reader will gain: This review is intended to provide the clinician with a practical guide to the treatment of dystonia.

Take home message: Treatment of dystonia begins with proper diagnosis and classification, followed by an appropriate search for underlying etiology, and an assessment of the functional impairment associated with the dystonia. The therapeutic approach, which is usually limited to symptomatic therapy, must then be tailored to the individual needs of the patient.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of interest

The authors state no conflict of interest and have received no payment in preparation of this manuscript.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Schematic approach to the treatment of dystonia
Other medications may include anticholinergics, baclofen, benzodiazepines, and others. Only a small proportion of patients proceed through the surgical options, which vary according to the type of dystonia.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Jankovic J. Treatment of dystonia. Lancet Neurol. 2006;5:864–72. - PubMed
    1. Goldman J, Comella C. Treatment Of dystonia. Clin Neuropharmacol. 2003;26(2):102–8. - PubMed
    1. Bhidayasiri R, Tarsy D. Treatment of dystonia. Expert Rev Neurother. 2006;6(6):863–86. Very thorough review of dystonia treatment options. - PubMed
    1. Ostrem JL, Starr PA. Treatment of dystonia with deep brain stimulation. Neurotherapeutics. 2008;5(2):320–30. Excellent review of DBS in dystonia. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Marks WJJ. Brain surgery for dystonia. In: Stacey MA, editor. Handbook of dystonia. Informa Healtcare Usa, Inc; New York: 2007. pp. 393–406.

MeSH terms