Abstract Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is a treatment for dystonia, with most trials conducted in developed countries. Data from developing countries like Brazil are limited. To evaluate the landscape of DBS for dystonia in Brazil, assessing motor outcomes compared with the existing literature. A retrospective multicenter cohort study was conducted via medical record review. Demographics and motor outcomes were collected and analyzed using the Burke-Fahn-Marsden Dystonia Rating Scale (BFMDRS) from patients across four of Brazil's five macro-regions. The cohort included 60 patients (44.3% female), with DBS primarily targeting the globus pallidus internus (73.3%) or subthalamic nucleus (18.3%). The BFMDRS motor scores decreased from 63.0 ± 26.2 (n = 24) at baseline to 36.7 ± 24.6 at 1-year post-DBS (n = 22, p = 0.0018) and 43.6 ± 35.0 at the last assessment (n = 13, p = 0.0327). The use of DBS yielded significant, sustained motor improvements, consistent with developed countries, highlighting its feasibility and effectiveness in Brazil within diverse healthcare settings.
Listik et al. (Sat,) studied this question.