A 12-month follow-up study of 219 patients treated with BrainsWay's H7 deep TMS protocol for obsessive-compulsive disorder reported that 62% of initial responders maintained clinically meaningful improvement at one year. Maintenance sessions, when delivered, averaged one session every two weeks among those who continued treatment.
Initial response was defined as a 30% or greater reduction in Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS) score after the standard 29-session course. Among responders, average Y-BOCS reduction at 12 months was 41% from baseline.
The study addresses a long-standing question about durability of TMS effects in OCD, where treatment options have traditionally focused on pharmacotherapy with high relapse rates after discontinuation. The 12-month durability data compares favorably with SSRI maintenance, where relapse rates of 50-60% within a year are common after discontinuation.
The authors note the study did not include a sham-controlled long-term arm, and that some of the durability may reflect the natural waxing-and-waning course of OCD. A randomized maintenance trial is planned to begin enrolling later this year.
Source
Reporting based on coverage from Journal of Clinical Psychiatry. This article is editorial summary intended for general information; it is not medical advice.