Unilateral suppression
of uncontrolled essential tremor or Parkinsonian tremor in an
upper extremity.
Who
is a candidate for this therapy? People with disabling tremor
that cannot be controlled by conventional drug therapy and people
who experience intolerable side effects from medication may be
candidates for this therapy.
In
addition, patients who have had thalamotomy on one side of the
brain, but still experience disabling tremor on the opposite
side, may be treated effectively with Tremor Control Therapy.
Patients are carefully selected
as possible candidates for surgery. Invasive surgical intervention
is usually reserved for patients with severe, disabling tremor
on one side (unilateral) or both sides (symmetric) of the body;
functional disability that interferes with the activities of
daily living; or tremor that is unresponsive to the highest tolerated
doses of medications used to treat ET.
A surgical
approach to treatment may be suggested for people with severe
essential tremor or parkinson symptoms or those whose symptoms
have not responded to the maximum acceptable dosages of medication
used to treat the disease. The physician, patient, family members,
and caregivers must work together to weigh the possible risks
versus the potential benefits of a surgical approach to treatment.
