Category: Tremor
Objective: To assess real-world clinical effectiveness and patient-reported outcomes associated with a multiple independent constant current (MICC) directional deep brain stimulation (DBS) system in individuals with medication-refractory Essential Tremor (ET).
Background: Essential Tremor affects approximately 0.3% of the global population and up to 3% of older adults. For patients whose symptoms are insufficiently controlled with pharmacotherapy, DBS targeting the ventral intermediate nucleus (Vim) has become the standard surgical treatment. While randomized trials have demonstrated efficacy, prospective multicenter registries provide critical insight into performance in routine clinical practice. This ongoing international registry (NCT04032470) was established to characterize real-world outcomes in ET patients treated with a directional MICC-based DBS system.
Method: This prospective, multicenter, international outcomes study plans to enroll up to 500 participants at as many as 50 sites. Implanted subjects received a directional DBS system capable of multiple independent constant current control. Evaluations through 2 years included tremor severity (TETRAS performance), activities of daily living (TETRAS ADL), quality of life (QUEST Summary Index [SI]), self-reported daily hours with tremor, and Clinical Global Impression of Change (clinician- and patient-rated). Outcomes were compared with baseline values.
Results: Eighty-eight patients were enrolled and 73 activated (mean age 66 years; disease duration 20 years). Tremor hours decreased from 14/day at baseline to ~7–8/day through 2 years (p<0.001), yielding 7.5 additional tremor-free hours (46%). QUEST SI improved by 17–23 points, exceeding clinical significance. TETRAS improved 41% and ADLs 60% (p<0.0001). Over 90% of clinicians and patients reported improvement. Follow-up is ongoing, with further results to be reported.
Conclusion: In this prospective, international real-world registry, directional MICC DBS therapy for Essential Tremor was associated with significant and sustained improvements in tremor control, daily functioning, and quality of life through 2 years. Patients experienced substantial increases in tremor-free time and high levels of perceived benefit. Continued data collection will further define long-term outcomes in this expanding cohort.
To cite this abstract in AMA style:
G. Deuschl, R. Schuurman, G. Loret, N. Kovacs, M. Barbe, M. Blázquez Estrada, F. Clement, J. Lee, S. Jaumà Classen, D. Pedrosa, J. Volkmann, A. Oliveira, S. Paschen, C. Honey, M. Fleischer, A. Schnitzler, W. Chang, L. Chen, R. Shivacharan, E. Goldberg. Prospective International Registry Evaluating Real-World Clinical and Quality-of-Life Outcomes of Directional Deep Brain Stimulation in Essential Tremor [abstract]. Mov Disord. 2026; 41 (suppl 1). https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/prospective-international-registry-evaluating-real-world-clinical-and-quality-of-life-outcomes-of-directional-deep-brain-stimulation-in-essential-tremor/. Accessed October 1, 2026.« Back to 2026 International Congress
MDS Abstracts - https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/prospective-international-registry-evaluating-real-world-clinical-and-quality-of-life-outcomes-of-directional-deep-brain-stimulation-in-essential-tremor/