Conference paper
INTENSIVE rTMS APPLICATIONS IN DIFFICULT TO TREAT PSYCHIATRIC PATIENTS: SOME CASES
Dieter Zeeuws
orcid.org/0000-0002-0936-8536
; Department of Psychiatry, University Hospital (UZ Brussel), Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), Brussels, Belgium
Liesbeth Santermans
; Department of Psychiatry, University Hospital (UZ Brussel), Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), Brussels, Belgium
Chris Baeken
; Department of Psychiatry, University Hospital (UZ Brussel), Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), Brussels, Belgium
Nathalie Vanderbruggen
; Department of Psychiatry, University Hospital (UZ Brussel), Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), Brussels, Belgium
Abstract
Despite adherence to treatment guidelines, some patients are resistant to several psychopharmacological interventions.
Guidelines to overcome treatment resistance are scarce and new treatment modalities are needed. When confronted with
psychopharmacological failure, repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) therapy can be considered. In these case series
a combative high frequency (HF)-rTMS protocol with frequent stimulations at suprathreshold intensity was applied for treatmentresistant
depression (TRD), schizoaffective- and bipolar I disorder, mixed episode. Besides effectiveness, tolerability was closely
monitored. All three patients, suffering from different psychiatric conditions were experiencing limited to excellent clinical
improvement without serious side effect or adverse events. These very preliminary results suggest, along with research using
comparable intensive stimulation parameters for treatment-resistant depression, that ‘aggressively’ targeting the left DLPFC is well
tolerated and safe. Our clinical results suggest a possible beneficial treatment strategy of HF-rTMS protocols following
unsuccessful. Larger sham-controlled studies are needed to substantiate our results.
Keywords
HF-rTMS; treatment-resistance; psychiatric disorders
Hrčak ID:
262759
URI
Publication date:
14.9.2010.
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