{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,16]],"date-time":"2026-10-16T16:48:09Z","timestamp":1792169289573,"version":"4.4.0"},"reference-count":0,"publisher":"S. Karger AG","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,16]],"date-time":"2026-10-16T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1792108800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/karger.com\/pages\/terms-and-conditions"},{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,16]],"date-time":"2026-10-16T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1792108800000},"content-version":"tdm","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/karger.com\/pages\/terms-and-conditions"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Stereotact Funct Neurosurg"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Introduction: Ventral intermediate nucleus (Vim) thalamotomy effectively suppresses essential tremor (ET); however, improvements in tremor severity do not necessarily translate into enhanced upper-limb dexterity or quality of life (QOL). In this study, we aimed to characterize postoperative changes in line-drawing trajectories and explore their functional correlates following Vim thalamotomy. Methods: Thirty patients with ET who underwent unilateral Vim thalamotomy and 13 healthy controls (HC) were included. The ET group was assessed preoperatively and at 1 week and 1 month postoperatively using The Essential Tremor Rating Assessment Scale (TETRAS; tremor severity [performance subscale; PS] and activities of daily living [ADL]), Purdue Pegboard Test (PPT), Box and Block Test (BBT), and Quality of Life in Essential Tremor Questionnaire (QUEST [QOL]). Line-drawing trajectories were quantitatively analyzed using the proportion of upward-direction deviation area (upper %) as an exploratory descriptor of trajectory characteristics. Longitudinal changes, comparisons with HC, and regression analyses of QOL were performed. Results: Tremor severity and ADL impairment improved significantly after surgery (both p &lt; 0.001), accompanied by significant improvement in QOL (p &lt; 0.001). In contrast, PPT and BBT scores showed no significant postoperative improvement. Upper % was significantly higher at 1 month than at 1 week postoperatively (p = 0.047) and exceeded the level observed in HC (p = 0.034). Sensitivity analysis demonstrated that increases in upper % occurred more frequently than decreases (20 vs. 6 patients, p = 0.009). TETRAS ADL was the only independent predictor of QOL (B = -1.565, p = 0.001). Conclusion: Vim thalamotomy improved tremor severity, ADL, and QOL, whereas objective dexterity remained unchanged. Exploratory trajectory analysis identified delayed postoperative alterations in line-drawing characteristics. These trajectory changes may provide complementary information regarding upper-limb performance beyond conventional tremor measures and warrant further longitudinal investigation.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1159\/sfn\/aeuag015","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,13]],"date-time":"2026-10-13T11:39:29Z","timestamp":1791891569000},"source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Postoperative Changes in Line-Drawing Trajectories After Vim Thalamotomy for Essential Tremor: An Exploratory Analysis of Functional Correlates"],"prefix":"10.1159","author":[{"given":"Atsuya","family":"Sato","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Takaomi","family":"Taira","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Toshiyuki","family":"Ishioka","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"127","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,16]]},"container-title":["Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/karger.com\/article-pdf\/doi\/10.1159\/sfn\/aeuag015","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,16]],"date-time":"2026-10-16T16:01:39Z","timestamp":1792166499000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/karger.com\/article\/doi\/10.1159\/sfn\/aeuag015"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,16]]},"references-count":0,"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1159\/sfn\/aeuag015","archive":["Portico"],"relation":{},"ISSN":["1011-6125","1423-0372"],"issn-type":[{"value":"1011-6125","type":"print"},{"value":"1423-0372","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,16]]}}}