Surgery to Drugs could improve Lives of Parkinson Patients
Patients with Parkinson’s disease do better if they undergo deep brain stimulation surgery in addition to drug therapy, new research suggests.
New way of Parkinson’s treatment. A year after undergoing the procedure, the patients who had surgery reported a better quality of life and an improved ability to move and participate in daily activities, compared with those treated only with drugs, according to a study, published in the online edition of the April 29 issue of The Lancet Neurology.
The study authors noted that although surgery can provide significant benefits for patients, also carries a risk of serious complications.
In deep brain stimulation, electrical impulses are sent to adjust the brain areas that control movement, according to background information in a press release about the research. In the new study, Dr. Adrian Williams of Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birgmingham, and their UK colleagues randomly assigned 366 patients with Parkinson’s disease to receive such medical or surgical treatment. A year later, the patients took surveys about how well they were doing.
“It is likely that surgery remains an important treatment option for patients with Parkinson’s disease, especially if the way in which DBS exerts its therapeutic benefits can be better understood if its use can be optimized through better placement electrodes and environments, and whether patients would get the greatest benefit could be identified better, “the authors conclude.