Ultrabrief Right Unilateral Electroconvulsive Therapy for the Treatment of the Neuropsychiatric Symptoms of Dementia with Lewy Bodies

Objectives Dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) is a debilitating disorder associated with a number of distressing neuropsychiatric symptoms. There is currently limited guidance regarding the most effective strategies of managing these symptoms, and both pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic strategies are often used. Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) has been reported as a potential nonpharmacologic method to alleviate some of these debilitating neuropsychiatric symptoms. However, there remains a paucity of evidence in current literature. This report aims to add to existing literature regarding ECT in DLB by highlighting successful treatment in seven cases. Methods Our study is a retrospective case series of 7 patients with DLB who received treatment with ultrabrief (UB) right unilateral (RUL) ECT for the treatment of agitation and depressive symptoms. Participants included patients with a diagnosis of DLB who were admitted to Emory University Hospital at Wesley Woods from 2011 to 2020 presenting with agitation and/or depressive symptoms after failing pharmacologic intervention. Patients underwent UB RUL ECT administered by a board-certified psychiatrist. After treatment, Pittsburg Agitation Scale and Clinical Global Impression-Improvement scales were recorded as measures of agitation and clinical improvement, respectively. Results All 7 patients responded to UB RUL ECT with marked improvement in their presenting symptoms of agitation and/or depression without significant adverse effects from treatment. Conclusions Ultrabrief RUL ECT seems to be a safe and effective treatment of the agitative and depressive features of DLB.

Automated summary

This study is a retrospective case series of 7 patients with DLB who received ultrabrief right unilateral ECT for the treatment of agitation and depressive symptoms. The findings suggest that ultrabrief RUL ECT is a safe and effective treatment for the agitative and depressive features of DLB.