{Reference Type}: Case Reports
{Title}: A single case of MRI-guided focused ultrasound ventro-oral thalamotomy for musician's dystonia.
{Author}: Horisawa S;Yamaguchi T;Abe K;Hori H;Sumi M;Konishi Y;Taira T;
{Journal}: J Neurosurg
{Volume}: 131
{Issue}: 2
{Year}: 08 2019 1
{Factor}: 5.408
{DOI}: 10.3171/2018.5.JNS173125
{Abstract}: Musician's dystonia (MD) is a type of focal hand dystonia that develops only while playing musical instruments and interferes with skilled and fine movements. Lesioning of the ventro-oral (Vo) nucleus of the thalamus (Vo-thalamotomy) using radiofrequency can cause dramatic improvement in MD symptoms. Focused ultrasound (FUS) can make intracranial focal lesions without an incision. The authors used MRI-guided FUS (MRgFUS) to create a lesion on the Vo nucleus to treat a patient with MD. Tubiana's MD scale (TMDS) was used to evaluate the condition of musical play ranging from 1 to 5 (1: worst, 5: best). The patient was a 35-year-old right-handed man with involuntary flexion of the right second, third, and fourth fingers, which occurred while playing a classical guitar. Immediately after therapeutic sonications of FUS Vo-thalamotomy, there was dramatic improvement in the MD symptoms. The TMDS scores before; at 0 and 1 week after; and at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months after MRgFUS Vo-thalamotomy were 1, 4, 4, 5, 5, 5, and 5, respectively. No complications were observed. Focused ultrasound Vo-thalamotomy can be an effective treatment for MD.