Panel Selection and Literature Review Process
Neurologists with expertise in essential tremor (ET) were invited by the Quality Standards Subcommittee (QSS) to perform the review. Computer-assisted literature searches were conducted for relevant English language articles pertinent to ET and for medications that are available in the United States. Databases searched include MEDLINE, EMBASE, Science Citation Index, and CINAHL between 1966 and 2004. A total of 502 articles pertaining to treatment and management of ET were published between 1966 and August 2004, and all search titles and abstracts were analyzed for content and relevance by individual committee members. Articles were accepted for further review if they consisted of double-blind controlled trials, open-label studies, case series, and case reports. There were 211 articles that were accepted for further review.
The following key words and phrases were used in the initial search and were paired with the term "essential tremor." Both brand and generic names were used in the searches (generic names are listed here only): acetazolamide, alprazolam, amantadine, aminophylline, antiepileptics, arotinolol, atenolol, atypical neuroleptics, beta-adrenergic blockers, benzodiazepines, botulinum toxin A, botulinum toxin B, calcium channel blockers, carbonic anhydrase inhibitors, chemodenervation, clinical trials, clonazepam, clonidine, clozapine, deep brain stimulation (DBS), gabapentin, gamma knife surgery, glutethimide, hypnotics, isoniazid, management, methazolamide, metoprolol, mirtazapine, nadolol, nicardipine, nifedipine, nimodipine, olanzapine, phenobarbital, pindolol, primidone, propranolol, propranolol long-acting, quetiapine, research design, sotalol, stereotactic surgery, thalamotomy, theophylline, therapy, topiramate, trazodone, verapamil, ventral intermediate (VIM) thalamic stimulation. Articles dedicated to dystonia, dystonic tremor, myoclonus, cerebellar tremor, "atypical tremor," Parkinson disease (PD), parkinsonism, orthostatic tremor, palatal tremor, primary writing tremor, animal models of ET, pathophysiology, genetics, epidemiology, cognitive dysfunction, quality of life, social phobia, and neuropsychiatric testing in ET were excluded from the review.