Thalamic deep brain stimulation for postural tremor caused by hyperthermia-induced cerebellar dysfunction: A case report

Background: The efficacy of deep brain stimulation (DBS) in treating tremor symptoms in cerebellar disorders remains unclear.

Case presentation: A 47-year-old woman presented with neck and arm tremor and ataxic speech/gait after four days of >40 °C fever due to septic shock attributed to lithiasis-pyelonephritis. Left ventral intermediate nucleus thalamus DBS alleviated contralateral postural arm tremor, although the action tremor and terminal oscillation remained unchanged.

Discussion: To our knowledge, this is the first report of thalamic DBS for hyperthermia-induced cerebellar dysfunction. Patients with postural tremor resulting from cerebellar damage can benefit from thalamic DBS, leading to improved activities of daily living.