Efficacy and Safety of Deep Brain Stimulation on Tremor in Multiple Sclerosis Patients

Tremor is a complication frequently associated with multiple sclerosis and can be severely disabling in up to 15% of these patients. Deep brain stimulation has been proven effective in other tremulous conditions though it’s efficacy and safety in multiple sclerosis patients is not well documented. A quantitative and qualitative review was done on all studies obtained in this literature that met the inclusion and exclusion criteria specified.Deep brain stimulation is effective in the symptomatic relief of tremor in multiple sclerosis patients. The benefits gained depend on long-term stimulation and require patients to be compliant with regular follow-up. The subthalamic region has proved to be a more efficacious target as compared to the traditional ventral intermedius nucleus. Despite the good outcome, this procedure is associated with risk and has to be weighed against potential benefits.