Background: The posterior subthalamic area (PSA) is essentially composed of the caudal Zona incerta and the prelemniscal radiation. Subthalamotomy in the PSA was renowned for its effectiveness in alleviating movement disorders and particularly tremor. The modern literature on DBS of this area is limited, but promising results have been presented for Parkinson’s disease (PD), essential tremor (ET) and other movement disorders.   Aim: To evaluate the safety of PSA DBS with emphasis on the panorama of side effects, the distribution of stimulation-induced side effects and the effects of PSA DBS on verbal fluency. To evaluate the therapeutic effect of PSA DBS on less common forms of tremor, tremor-dominant PD, and concerning the long-term results in ET. Method: 40 patients were evaluated regarding side effects of the procedure. 28 patients with ET were analyzed for stimulation-induced side effects in a standardized manner. The locations of the contacts that caused stimulation-induced side effects were plotted on atlas slides. A 3-D model of the area was created based on these slides. Verbal fluency was analyzed in 17 patients with ET before surgery, after 3 days and finally after 1 year. Five patients with less common forms of tremor and 18 with ET were evaluated according to the ETRS at baseline and one year or 3-5 years after surgery, respectively. 14 patients with mainly unilateral tremor-dominant PD were evaluated a mean of 18 months after surgery according to the motor part of UPDRS. Results: PSA DBS was associated with few serious side-effects, but a transient and mild postoperative dysphasia was found in 22.5% of the patients. There was a slight transient decline in the performance on verbal fluency tests immediately after surgery. Visualization of the contacts causing stimulation-induced side effects showed that identical responses can be elicited from various points in the PSA and its vicinity. The effect on the less common forms of tremor was excellent except for neuropathic tremor where the effect was moderate. A pronounced and sustained microlesional effect was seen for some of the patients. After a mean of 4 years with unilateral PSA DBS the total ETRS score was improved by 52.4%, tremor by 91.8% and hand function by 78.0% in the patients with ET. There was no increase in the stimulation strength over time. In PD, the scores improved 47.7% for contralateral UPDRS III. Contralateral tremor, rigidity, and bradykinesia improved by 82.2%, 34.3%, and 26.7%, respectively. Conclusions: PSA DBS generally seem to be a safe procedure, but it may be associated with transient declines of verbal fluency. There was no clear somatotopic pattern with regard to stimulation-induced side effects in the PSA. PSA DBS can alleviate tremor regardless of the etiology. The long-term effects in ET were favorable when compared to our previous results of Vim DBS. The effect on Parkinsonian tremor was satisfying, however, the reductions of rigidity and bradykinesia were less compared to previous studies of PSA DBS for PD.

Background: Essential tremor (ET) is the most common movement disorder. In cases resistant to pharmacological treatment, functional stereotactic neurosurgery can be an alternative. Lesional surgery has largely been replaced by deep brain stimulation (DBS). The current target of choice is the ventrolateral thalamus (Vim). Vim DBS has generally shown good results, but in some cases it is associated with a suboptimal effect as well as side effects. DBS in the posterior subthalamic area/caudal zona incerta (PSA/cZi) has recently shown promising effects. Recently the role of lesional therapy in selected cases has been discussed. Aim: The aim is to evaluate stereotactic functional procedures in the treatment of ET, with special emphasis on PSA DBS. Further the effects of DBS in the PSA are evaluated. The optimal target is also assessed by evaluating the effect of Vim and PSA DBS in relation to the position of the electrode. An attempt to identify patient-specific factors of prognostic importance for the outcome after DBS will be made. The quality of life (QoL) of patients treated with PSA DBS for ET will be assessed. Finally, the aim is also to analyze retrospectively the long-term outcome of lesional procedures (thalamotomies). Method: The thesis consists of five studies. The optimal electrode location is evaluated in a study analyzing the location of the electrode contact yielding the best effect in Vim DBS and PSA DBS groups. The efficacy of PSA DBS in 21 patients is evaluated in a prospective study. The correlation between outcome, age, tremor grade and gender is established in a prospective study consisting of 68 patients. Finally, the degree of improvement in QoL is determined in 16 patients operated on in the PSA. The very long-term effect of lesional surgery has been investigated in a retrospective study of nine patients who have undergone thalamotomy. Results: In the study of PSA DBS the total score on the Essential Tremor Rating Scale (ETRS) was reduced by 60% compared to the baseline value. Tremor of the arm was improved by 95%. The study evaluating the optimal contact location showed that the best effect was in the PSA in 54% and in the Vim in 12%. The efficacy of DBS was not related to age, gender, or the severity of tremor with regard to the percentage reduction of tremor on stimulation. In patients with a more severe tremor at baseline, a higher degree of residual tremor on stimulation was seen. With regard to QoL, the activities of daily living (ADL) according to the ETRS score were significantly improved, as well as according to the ADL and psychosocial subscores on the Questionnaire for Essential Tremor (QUEST) scale. No significant changes were found on the generic Short Form (SF-36) QoL scale. Thalamotomy had some positive effects, but also a significant amount of side effects that might be attributed to the surgery. Conclusions: The effect of PSA DBS was very satisfying and compares well with the results from Vim DBS. When both Vim and PSA DBS are considered, the optimal target seems to be located in the PSA. PSA DBS shows good results in improving ADL, but the results have been difficult to demonstrate on QoL scales. The efficacy of DBS could not be shown to be associated with gender or age. Nor was it associated with the severity of tremor regarding the percentage of tremor reduction on stimulation. The preoperative severity of tremor was the most important factor regarding outcome following DBS. With regard to thalamotomies, some possible remaining benefit of the surgery could be seen along with some severe side effects.