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Chapter 38 - Treatment of Dystonia

from Section 3: - Hyperkinetic Movement Disorders

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  07 January 2025

By
Alain Kaelin-Lang
Edited by
Erik Ch. Wolters  and
Christian R. Baumann
Erik Ch. Wolters
Affiliation:
Universität Zürich
Christian R. Baumann
Affiliation:
Universität Zürich
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Summary

Dystonia is a heterogeneous group of diseases with important variability in phenomenology and underlying etiology and pathophysiology. Treatment must be individualized according to the symptomatology and needs of a specific patient. Several efficacious treatments to improve the symptoms of dystonia exist, but few treatments for metabolic and other disorders causing dystonia. The most important therapeutic options are described and discussed. Better understanding of the genetics and pathophysiology of dystonia, the progress of deep brain stimulation, and the possibility of physical therapy greatly improved multimodal therapeutic management of the dystonia patient. However, we are far from a cure; we can only rarely eliminate symptoms, with a few exceptions. For successful treatment, we need to consider specific motor and non-motor aspects of dystonia, different from other movement disorders. It is particularly important to understand the possibility and limitation of each therapeutic option in order to propose and combine different treatments according to the needs of a specific patient.

Keywords

Dystonia treatmentphysical therapybotulinum toxindeep brain stimulationpharmacologic treatment
Type
Chapter
Information
International Compendium of Movement Disorders , pp. 462 - 475
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2025

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