• Shiro Horisawa, Shinichi Goto, Takeshi Nakajima, Takakazu Kawamata, and Takaomi Taira.
• Department of Neurosurgery, Neurological Institute, Tokyo Women's Medical University, Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan.
• World Neurosurg. 2016 Aug 1; 92: 585.e21-585.e25.

BackgroundFocal hand dystonia in musicians, also known as musician's dystonia, is a task-specific movement disorder characterized by unwanted involuntary muscle contractions occurring only when playing a musical instrument.Case DescriptionCase 1 was a 50-year-old female professional pianist who underwent staged bilateral ventro-oral (Vo) thalamotomy, with an interval between the first and second surgery of 4 years. The first surgery (right Vo thalamotomy) led to significant improvements in dystonic symptoms without any complications. Pre- and postoperative Tubiana's musician's dystonia scale (TMDS) scores were 2 and 5, respectively. The second surgery (left Vo thalamotomy) also led to significant improvements in dystonic symptoms, with dysarthria and verbal recall disturbance resolving within 3 months. Pre- and postoperative TMDS scores were 2 and 5, respectively. The patient was subsequently able to return to live-stage performances. Case 2 was a 48-year-old male clarinet repair technician who underwent staged bilateral Vo thalamotomy, with an interval between the first and second surgery of 13 months. The first surgery (right Vo thalamotomy) led to dramatic improvements in symptoms without any complications. Pre- and postoperative TMDS scores were 2 and 5, respectively. The second surgery (left Vo thalamotomy) also led to significant improvements in symptoms with transient hypophonia. Pre- and postoperative TMDS scores were 2 and 5, respectively. The patient was subsequently able to return to work without difficulty.ConclusionsThe findings in these 2 cases indicate the utility of bilateral stereotactic Vo thalamotomy in the treatment of medically intractable musician's dystonia affecting both hands.Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

16 keywords...

hide…