Health-related quality of life in segmental dystonia is improved by bilateral pallidal stimulation.

In contrast to generalized dystonia, reports on the effectiveness of pallidal stimulation on quality of life in patients with segmental dystonia are sparse to date. In ten patients with idiopathic segmental dystonia we prospectively evaluated the effect of pallidal stimulation on quality of life using the SF-36 questionnaire. Parallel to the improvement of motor scores, total SF-36 scores and physical and mental health subscores improved significantly at follow-up to a mean of 17 months postoperatively. Thus, pallidal stimulation should be recognized as a promising treatment option in patients with segmental dystonia.