title: Pallidotomy and quality of life in patients with Parkinson's disease: an early study.
abstract: The purpose of this study was to analyze the effect of stereotactic neurophysiologically guided pallidotomy on health-related quality of life (QoL) of patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). Eleven patients with PD (seven men, four women; mean age, 57.2 years; mean duration of disease, 14 years) with motor complications refractory to medical therapy underwent unilateral pallidotomy. Clinical assessment was carried out a week before surgery and 4 months after the surgical procedure and was based on the Core Assessment Program for Intracerebral Transplantations protocol. QoL was measured by means of the PDQ-39. A set of rating scales (Hoehn & Yahr, Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale, Schwab and England, Northwestern University Disability Scale of Walking, Abnormal Involuntary Movement Scale), timed tests, and self-evaluations of motor function and mood were applied. Improvement was found in dyskinesias (74%) and off-period disability (42%). Cardinal motor signs improved significantly (30%-59%). Four dimensions of the PDQ-39 (Mobility, ADL, Emotions, Bodily Pain) showed a significant improvement (p <0.01-0.001). The global effect on QoL, measured through the PDQ-39 Summary Index (35.3%; 95% confidence interval: 15.60-54.97), was also significant (p<0.01) but unrelated to major clinical changes. Pallidotomy significantly improves QoL in patients with advanced PD. QoL measurement provides relevant information that is probably not attainable by clinical assessment.
authors.affiliation: Neurology Unit, Hospital Universitario de Getafe, Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Martínez-Martín
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Valldeoriola
authors.forename: J L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Molinuevo
authors.forename: F A
authors.initials: FA
authors.lastname: Nobbe
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Rumià
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Tolosa
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D004292:Dominance, Cerebral / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005917:Globus Pallidus / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009048:Motor Skills / Q000502:physiology; D009460:Neurologic Examination; D010300:Parkinson Disease / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery*; D011788:Quality of Life; D013238:Stereotaxic Techniques