Essential tremor: diagnosis and treatment
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Updated: Aug 30, 2026

MRI-guided Focused Ultrasound Thalamotomy for Patients with Medically-refractory Essential Tremor
Published on: December 13, 2017
1Department of Pharmacy Practice, College of Pharmacy, Western University of Health Sciences, Pomona, California 91766-1854, USA. jchen@westernu.edu
Abstract:
Essential tremor is a common movement disorder in adults that interferes with the performance of functional and social activities. Differentiation of essential tremor from other tremor syndromes is important in order to provide appropriate patient education and therapy. The mainstays of pharmacotherapy are propranolol and primidone; however, in selected patients, agents such as alcohol, benzodiazepines, botulinum toxin, and gabapentin may provide symptomatic benefits. Advances in surgical interventions, such as stereotactic thalamotomy and thalamic deep brain stimulation, offer patients an alternative treatment modality when pharmacotherapy is inadequate. A treatment algorithm is provided to guide clinicians in the management of patients with essential tremor.
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