Bilateral stereotactic thalamotomy for bilateral musician’s hand dystonia

Abstract Background Focal 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 Descriptions Case 1 was a 50-year-old female professional pianist who underwent staged bilateral Vo thalamotomy, with an interval between 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 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 post TMDS scale 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 first and second surgery of 13 months. First surgery (right Vo thalamotomy) led to dramatic improvements in symptoms without any complications. Pre- and post TMDS scale scores were 2 and 5, respectively. Second surgery (left Vo thalamotomy) also led to significant improvements in symptoms with transient hypophonia. Pre- and post TMDS scale scores were 2 and 5, respectively. The patient was subsequently able to return to work without difficulty. Conclusion The 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.