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Stereotactic Thalamotomy for Hairdresser's Dystonia: A Case Series
Shiro Horisawa1, Shinichi Goto, Takeshi Nakajima
1Department of Neurosurgery, Neurological Institute, Tokyo Women's Medical University, Tokyo, Japan.
Background:
Hairdresser's dystonia is a rarely reported form of focal hand dystonia, and the clinical course and treatment remains poorly understood.
Objectives:
The aim of this report was to clarify the impact of thalamotomy on hairdresser's dystonia.
Methods:
Four consecutive patients with hairdresser's task-specific dystonia evaluated at Tokyo Women's Medical University Hospital between 2008 and 2013 were treated with stereotactic thalamotomy, and were recruited for this case series.
Results:
The mean age at the onset of symptoms was 37.25 ± 10.64 years, the median duration of symptoms was 4.25 ± 1.3 years, and the mean follow-up period was 17 ± 12.37 months. Two of the 4 patients returned to work with significant improvement following the stereotactic thalamotomy and the beneficial effects persisted for the duration of their clinical follow-up. The other 2 patients experienced transient improvements for up to 3 months. Surgical complications included only dysarthria in 2 patients, and did not interfere with their daily activities. No patients experienced a deterioration of dystonic symptoms after thalamotomy.
Conclusion:
Although the benefits of thalamotomy remain vulnerable to incorrect or insufficient coagulation, stereotactic thalamotomy may be a feasible and effective procedure for patients with hairdresser's dystonia.
