Deep brain stimulation in dystonia: State of art and future directions

Abstract

When considering Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) surgical treatment of dystonia syndromes, it is important to consider multiple aspects of the disease and its presentation. It is crucial to know if the dystonia is idiopathic, inherited or acquired as well as focal, segmental or generalised. Careful phenotyping of idiopathic as well as inherited dystonias and accurate diagnosis of acquired dystonias informs the decision-making process for patients and clinicians by providing them with useful predictors of outcomes of the proposed surgery. Here, we provided a review of the current literature, highlighted the areas where evidence is scarce and suggested future directions for research.

Keywords: Cervical dystonia; Deep brain stimulation; Generalized dystonia; Lower limb dystonia; Primary dystonia; Secondary dystonia; Segmental dystonia; Upper limb dystonia.