Current opinions and practices in post-stroke movement disorders: Survey of movement disorders society members

Background: Post-stroke movement disorders (PSMD) encompass a wide array of presentations, which vary in mode of onset, phenomenology, response to treatment, and natural history. There are no evidence-based guidelines on the diagnosis and treatment of PSMD. Objectives: To survey current opinions and practices on the diagnosis and treatment of PSMD. Methods: A survey was developed by the PSMD Study Group, commissioned by the International Parkinson's and Movement Disorders Society (MDS). The survey, distributed to all members, yielded a total of 529 responses, 395 (74.7%) of which came from clinicians with experience with PSMD. Results: Parkinsonism (68%), hemiballismus/hemichorea (61%), tremor (58%), and dystonia (54%) were by far the most commonly endorsed presentation of PSMD, although this varied by region. Basal ganglia stroke (76% of responders), symptoms contralateral to stroke (75%), and a temporal relationship (59%) were considered important factors for the diagnosis of PSMD. Oral medication use depended on the phenomenology of the PSMD. Almost 50% of respondents considered deep brain stimulation and ablative surgeries as options for treatment. The lack of guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment was considered the most important gap to address. Conclusions: Regionally varying opinions and practices on PSMD highlight gaps in (and mistranslation of) epidemiologic and therapeutic knowledge. Multicenter registries and prospective community-based studies are needed for the creation of evidence-based guidelines to inform the diagnosis and treatment of patients with PSMD.