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A Comparison of Right Unilateral and Sequential Bilateral Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation for Major
Cherrie A Galletly1, Benjamin L Carnell, Patrick Clarke
1From the *Ramsay Health Care (SA) Mental Health Services, Ramsay Health Care, Adelaide; †Discipline of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide; ‡Northern Adelaide Local Health Network, Adelaide; and §South Australian Psychiatry Training Committee, Central Adelaide Local Health Network - Mental Health Directorate, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia.
Background:
A great deal of research has established the efficacy of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) in the treatment of depression. However, questions remain about the optimal method to deliver treatment. One area requiring consideration is the difference in efficacy between bilateral and unilateral treatment protocols.
Objective:
This study aimed to compare the effectiveness of sequential bilateral rTMS and right unilateral rTMS.
Methods:
A total of 135 patients participated in the study, receiving either bilateral rTMS (N = 57) or right unilateral rTMS (N = 78). Treatment response was assessed using the Hamilton depression rating scale.
Results:
Sequential bilateral rTMS had a higher response rate than right unilateral (43.9% vs 30.8%), but this difference was not statistically significant. This was also the case for remission rates (33.3% vs 21.8%, respectively). Controlling for pretreatment severity of depression, the results did not indicate a significant difference between the protocols with regard to posttreatment Hamilton depression rating scale scores.
Conclusions:
The current study found no statistically significant differences in response and remission rates between sequential bilateral rTMS and right unilateral rTMS. Given the shorter treatment time and the greater safety and tolerability of right unilateral rTMS, this may be a better choice than bilateral treatment in clinical settings.
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