Peripheral Nerve Stimulation in Tourette Syndrome: a scoping review

Abstract

Objective. To conduct a scope review on the effectiveness of Peripheral Nerve Stimulation in patients with Tourette Syndrome, by comparing the results of various studies and their convergences. Method. The Population, Context, Concept (PCC) methodology was used to guide the formulation of the research question, employing the PubMed, Lilacs, and Embase databases as search sources. Boolean operators and corresponding descriptors were used in creating the search strategy. Results. Based on the extracted information, it was possible to analyze the efficacy of Peripheral Nerve Stimulation in patients with Tourette Syndrome, which was significant in short periods of time (ranging from seconds to a few minutes). Regarding long-term effects, most articles showed that these were practically non-existent. However, this observation is uncertain due to the presence of subjective elements in the evaluation (found in patient reports and in the evaluator's criteria regarding the clinical expression of tics and their improvement). It is a final consensus, however, that in all evaluated studies, stimulation resulted in an improvement in tic intensity and/or frequency. Conclusion. The use of Peripheral Nerve Stimulation has shown to be efficient, especially in short-term periods. However, further refinement of the technique and the conduct of new studies with more objective parameters are necessary for a more precise assessment of the long-term effects caused by Peripheral Nerve Stimulation.