How do you treat motor complications in Parkinson's disease: Medicine, surgery, or both?

S Fahn - Annals of Neurology: Official Journal of the American …, 2008 - Wiley Online Library
S Fahn
Annals of Neurology: Official Journal of the American Neurological …, 2008Wiley Online Library
The motor complications associated with levodopa therapy, namely, fluctuations in motor
response and dyskinesias, occur in the majority of Parkinson's disease patients. These
complications can impair a patient's quality of life and even cause pronounced disability.“Off”
states that result in freezing of gait and falling are disabling for many patients. Dyskinesias
most commonly occur at peak dose and typically alternate with the wearing‐off state. Once
these problems appear, they usually persist, and the physician needs to make continual …
Abstract
The motor complications associated with levodopa therapy, namely, fluctuations in motor response and dyskinesias, occur in the majority of Parkinson's disease patients. These complications can impair a patient's quality of life and even cause pronounced disability. “Off” states that result in freezing of gait and falling are disabling for many patients. Dyskinesias most commonly occur at peak dose and typically alternate with the wearing‐off state. Once these problems appear, they usually persist, and the physician needs to make continual adjustments in medications to minimize these problems. Medical treatments should be attempted before treatments such as deep brain stimulation are considered because of the potential adverse effects that are associated with surgery. The timing of surgery, however, is also important because younger patients and less advanced patients tend to have a better outcome. There is thus a need for experienced and knowledgeable physicians and surgeons who are able to handle these motor complications. This review discusses available medications and surgical approaches, and their outcomes. Ann Neurol 2008;64 (suppl):S56–S64
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