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Images in Neurology
August 2010

Deep Brain Stimulation Artifact in Needle Electromyography

Author Affiliations

Author Affiliations: Department of Neurology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas.

Arch Neurol. 2010;67(8):1030. doi:10.1001/archneurol.2010.183

A 69-year-old man who was initially diagnosed with essential tremor presented with dysphagia and dysarthria following bilateral deep brain stimulation (DBS) of the ventral intermediate nucleus of the thalamus. He later developed parkinsonian features. Evaluation included needle electromyography, which revealed small biphasic spikes firing regularly at 200 Hz (the same as DBS frequency; Figure). Spikes disappeared after contralateral DBS was turned off.

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