DBS THERAPY FOR DYSTONIA
Although dystonia* has no cure, there are a number of treatments available for finding relief. DBS may be an option for you if you have chronic, intractable (drug refractory) primary dystonia, including generalized and/or segmental dystonia, hemidystonia, and cervical dystonia (torticollis), have not had success managing your symptoms with medication and are 7 years of age or above.
Medication Injections
This treatment involves the injection of medications directly into the affected muscles.
Drug Therapies
There are many medications that are commonly used to treat dystonia. No single drug works for every individual, and several trials of medications may be necessary to determine which is most appropriate for you. Most of the medications used to treat dystonia work by affecting the neurotransmitter chemicals in the nervous system that execute the brain’s instructions for muscle movement and the control of movement.1
Rhizotomy and Pallidotomy
Surgeries such as rhizotomy and pallidotomy involve the destruction or removal of certain parts of the brain (pallidotomy) or the cutting of nerves in the spinal cord (rhizotomy).
Medtronic DBS Therapy for Dystonia
DBS may be an option for you if you have chronic, intractable (drug refractory) primary dystonia, including generalized and/or segmental dystonia, hemidystonia, and cervical dystonia (torticollis), have not had success managing your symptoms with medication and are 7 years of age or above.
DBS is a brain stimulation therapy that offers an adjustable, reversible method of treatment for dystonia. The treatment uses an implanted medical device, similar to a pacemaker, to deliver electrical stimulation to precisely targeted areas of the brain.
DBS Therapy may help control some symptoms of dystonia, including involuntary movements, but, it is not a cure. Your symptoms will return when the system is turned off. The treatment of dystonia is approved under a Humanitarian Device Exemption. The effectiveness of this device for this use has not been demonstrated.
1
Oral Medications. Dystonia Medical Research Foundation. dystonia-foundation.org. Accessed February 28, 2017.
Information on this site should not be used as a substitute for talking with your doctor. Always talk with your doctor about diagnosis and treatment information.
*
Humanitarian Device - Authorized by Federal Law as an aid in the management of chronic, intractable (drug refractory) primary dystonia, including generalized and/or segmental dystonia, hemidystonia, and cervical dystonia (torticollis), in patients seven years of age or above. The effectiveness of the devices for treating these conditions has not been demonstrated.