Pediatric Movement Disorders and Neuromodulation: An Overview

Pediatric movement disorders are heterogeneous and complex disorders with various aetiologies. These are broadly classified as hypo and hyperkinetic disorders. Genetic causes of basal ganglia dysfunction or direct injuries to the basal ganglia mark the genesis of these abnormal movements. The management of pediatric movement disorders is multidisciplinary with pharmacotherapy as the first line of management along with physical therapy. Patients resistant to medications are candidates for invasive neuromodulation which is an upcoming treatment modality in pediatric movement disorders. Deep brain stimulation of basal ganglia and thalamic nuclei are associated with promising symptomatic benefit with reduction in disability and improvement in quality of life of these children. In this article, we have reviewed the management of pediatric movement disorders with emphasis on neuromodulation i.e., deep brain stimulation.