As part of the first randomized, sham-stimulation controlled trial on deep brain 
stimulation (DBS) in primary segmental or generalized dystonia, health-related 
quality of life (HRQoL) was assessed by SF-36. After the 3-month sham-controlled 
phase, significant HRQoL improvement occurred only in the active-stimulation 
group. The open-label extension phase resulted in a significant improvement in 
all SF-36 domains following 6 months of neurostimulation. These results 
demonstrate a favorable impact of DBS on HRQoL in primary dystonia.