Pistol Shooting Dystonia Treated with Thalamotomy

Background: Neurosurgical treatment for pistol shooting dystonia has not been studied. Case report: The patient was a 41-year-old woman who participated in the Olympic Games four times as a shooting player. Five months after the final Tokyo Olympic trials, she developed dystonia of the right index finger when shooting. Stereotactic thalamotomy was performed, and a complete resolution of dystonia was achieved. She garnered her personal best score and placed fifth in the Tokyo Olympics. Discussion: Thalamotomy along with deep brain stimulation can be a surgical modality for patients with task-specific dystonia who fail oral medications or botulinum toxin therapy.