Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42489131›Full record

Trial reportBrain : a journal of neurology2026

Bilateral gamma knife radiosurgery in severe essential tremor: a prospective trial.

Jean Régis, Valentin Mira, Serge Pinto, Eve Benchetrit, Corentin Gaillard, Jeremy Danna, Lauriane Veron-Delor, Axelle Cretol, Silvia Sandu, Sarah Fernandes and 4 more

Abstract readClinical Trial, Phase II
In one paragraph

Trial report in Brain : a journal of neurology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

14 authors.

Jean RégisInstitut Neurosciences Systèmes (INS), INSERM, Aix Marseille University, Marseille 13284, France.
Valentin MiraCNRS, CRPN, Aix Marseille University, Marseille 13003, France.
Serge PintoCNRS, LPL, Aix Marseille University, Aix-en-Provence 13100, France.ORCID 0000-0002-3375-4787
Eve BenchetritDepartment of Neurology and Pathology of Movement, Timone Hospital, Marseille 13385, France.
Corentin GaillardDepartment of Neurology and Pathology of Movement, Timone Hospital, Marseille 13385, France.
Jeremy DannaCNRS, CLLE, Toulouse University, Toulouse 31058, France.
Lauriane Veron-DelorCNRS, CeRCA, Poitiers University, Tours University, Poitiers 86073, France.
Axelle CretolDepartment of Stereotaxis, Assistance Publique Hôpitaux de Marseille (AP-HM), Functional Neurosurgery & Radiosurgery  Marseille 13385, France.
Silvia SanduDepartment of Stereotaxis, Assistance Publique Hôpitaux de Marseille (AP-HM), Functional Neurosurgery & Radiosurgery  Marseille 13385, France.
Sarah FernandesCERESS, Aix Marseille University, Marseille 13385, France.
Jean-Philippe AzulayCNRS, CRPN, Aix Marseille University, Marseille 13003, France.
Alexandre EusebioDepartment of Neurology and Pathology of Movement, Timone Hospital, Marseille 13385, France.
Marianne VaugoyeauCNRS, CRPN, Aix Marseille University, Marseille 13003, France.
Tatiana WitjasDepartment of Neurology and Pathology of Movement, Timone Hospital, Marseille 13385, France.

Funding

APHMAssistance Public des Hôpitaux de MarseilleFrench Association of People Affected by Essential Tremor (APTES)
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

In patients with medically refractory essential tremor, unilateral Gamma Knife radiosurgery (GKS) of the ventral intermedius thalamic nucleus (VIM) is known to improve contralateral tremor with good safety. Safety of staged bilateral GKS of the VIM has never been strictly evaluated. Our aim was to determine whether staged bilateral VIM-GKS is safe and effective, avoiding side effects associated with bilateral surgery, while providing improvement in tremor impairment. We conducted a prospective, single-arm, phase 2 trial of second-side GKS of the VIM in 33 patients with severe essential tremor and no relevant speech or balance problems. A comprehensive assessment before surgery, as well as 6 and 12 months post-surgery, included complete neuropsychological testing, the evaluation of voice, speech, gait, posture, tremor severity, activities of daily living, disease-related quality of life and MRI. The primary end point was safety. All patients completed the study after the 1-year follow-up period (19 males, 14 females, 32 right VIM-GKS and 1 left). A single adverse event was observed (hemi-proprioceptive ataxia and dysarthria due to hyper-response 11 months after VIM-GKS). The mean delay between the first and the second GKS was 28.7 months. The postoperative cognitive assessment, as well as the evaluation of speech, gait and balance, showed no significant worsening. The tremor severity score significantly improved by 58.5%, the disability score by 84.8% and the functional impact score by 68.6%. Four patients failed to respond, while the remaining 29 patients showed a mean improvement of 74.4% in their treated upper limb tremor. Quality of life at 12 months was significantly improved. In selected patients with bilaterally disabling essential tremor and without speech, gait or balance concerns, staged bilateral VIM-GKS can be performed with a good safety profile and leads to a major reduction in tremor and improvement in quality of life. If confirmed by larger series and longer follow-up, bilateral staged VIM-GKS could be considered as a good option for selected patients presenting with a severe drug-resistant bilaterally disabling essential tremor.

Indexed as

Essential TremorRadiosurgeryVentral Thalamic NucleiActivities of Daily LivingAgedAged, 80 and overFemaleFollow-Up StudiesHumansMagnetic Resonance ImagingMaleMiddle AgedNeuropsychological TestsProspective StudiesQuality of LifeTreatment Outcomebilateral treatmentessential tremorgamma knife radiosurgerythalamotomyVIM

Identifiers

PMID42489131
PMCPMC13634637

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.