Deep brain stimulation in a Chinese Tourette's syndrome patient

Hong Kong Med J. 2011 Apr;17(2):147-50.

Abstract

A 31-year-old Chinese man with intractable severe, lifelong Tourette's syndrome characterised by forceful self-injurious motor tics and socially embarrassing vocal tics was treated with bilateral deep brain stimulation. Electrodes were implanted into the thalamic targets at the centromedian-parafascicular complex according to Hassler's nomenclature. A dramatic reduction of tics resulted. At 18 months postoperatively, there was an 81% improvement in his total tics count and a 58% improvement in his Yale Global Tic Severity Scale. His modified Rush video scale decreased from 13 to 8 and visual analogue scale from 10 to 3. These data show that bilateral deep brain stimulation of the thalamus can have a favourable immediate effect on severe tics in a selected group of adult patients suffering from intractable Tourette's syndrome and postoperatively the beneficial effects persisted for at least 18 months.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Deep Brain Stimulation / methods*
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Tourette Syndrome / physiopathology
  • Tourette Syndrome / therapy*