Seven-year resolution of cervical dystonia after unilateral pallidotomy: A case report

BACKGROUND: Reports on the long-term effects of pallidotomy for cervical dystonia remain scarce. CASE DESCRIPTION: We report a case of cervical dystonia successfully treated by unilateral pallidotomy. The patient was a 29-year-old man without past medical and family history of cervical dystonia. At the age of 28 years, neck rotation to the right with right shoulder elevation developed and gradually became worse. After symptoms failed to respond to repetitive botulinum toxin injections and oral medications, he underwent left pallidotomy, which resulted in significant improvement of cervical dystonia and shoulder elevation without surgical complications. At the 3-month evaluation, the symptoms completely improved. The Toronto Western Spasmodic Torticollis Rating Scale score dramatically improved from 39 points before surgery to 0 points at 7-year postoperative evaluation. CONCLUSION: This case suggests that unilateral pallidotomy can be an alternative treatment option for cervical dystonia.