Long-term effects of pallidal deep brain stimulation in tardive dystonia: a follow-up of 5–14 years

INTRODUCTION: Pallidal DBS is an established treatment for severe isolated dystonia. However, its use in disabling and treatment-refractory tardive syndromes (TS) including tardive dyskinesia and tardive dystonia (TD) is less well investigated and long-term data remain sparse. This observational study evaluates long-term effects of deep brain stimulation (DBS) of the globus pallidus internus (GPi) in patients with medically refractory TS. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed a cohort of seven TD patients with bilateral GPi-DBS. Involuntary movements, dystonia and disability were rated at long-term follow-up (LT-FU) after a mean of 122 ± 33.2 SD months (range 63–171 months) and compared to baseline (BL), short-term (ST-FU; mean 6 ± 2.0 SD months) and 4-year follow-up (4y-FU; mean 45 ± 12.3 SD months) using the Abnormal Involuntary Movement Scale (AIMS) and the Burke–Fahn–Marsden Dystonia Rating Scale (BFMDRS), respectively. Quality of life and mood were evaluated using the SF36 and Beck Depression Index (BDI) questionnaires, respectively. RESULTS: At LT-FU patients had improved by 73% ± 14.2 SD in involuntary movements and 90% ± 1.0 SD in dystonia. Mood had improved significantly whereas quality of life remained unchanged compared to baseline. No serious long-lasting stimulation-related adverse events (AEs) were observed. Three patients of this cohort presented without active stimulation and ongoing symptom relief at long-term follow-up after 3–10 years of continuous DBS. CONCLUSION: Pallidal DBS is a safe and effective long-term TD treatment. Even more interesting, three of our patients could stop stimulation after several years of DBS without serious relapse. Larger studies need to explore the phenomenon of ongoing symptom relief after DBS cessation. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s00415-022-10965-8.