Essential Tremor: Deep Brain Stimulation

Comprising of axial and/or kinetic tremors, essential tremor (ET) is a debilitating and common movement disorder that negatively affects up to 1% of the global population. When patients fail medical therapy, deep brain stimulation (DBS) is one of the current standards of care for medically refractory ET treatment. Using stereotactic methods, surgeons may stimulate the ventral intermediate thalamic nucleus (VIM) and novel targets, such as the posterior subthalamic area and the zona incerta, with long-term benefits and significant tremor reduction. Other alternatives include stereotactic radiosurgery and MRI-guided focused ultrasound (FUS).