title: Survey of U.S. neurologists' attitudes towards deep brain stimulation for Parkinson's disease.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Deep brain stimulation (DBS) for Parkinson's disease (PD) was approved by the Food and Drug Administration in 2002 and has demonstrated clinical benefit in advanced PD. Our aim was to assess attitudes of U.S. neurologists towards the role of DBS in management of advanced PD.
  
  
  METHODS
  We sent a 40-item Internet-based survey assessing opinions regarding the role of medical and surgical therapies in managing PD to 7722 neurologists in the American Medical Association Physician MasterFile data base.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The response rate was low (4.2%). In total, 78 of the 298 (26%) responders self-identified as movement disorders specialists. Specialists and non-specialists had differences on a number of medical strategies used to manage PD. There were no statistically significant differences in reasons for or against referring patients for DBS, except for the number of non-specialists who agreed with referring a patient who had a "poor or absent response to levodopa" (71% vs. 16%, p < 0.001). Both groups indicated a need for more information concerning appropriate indications for DBS, adverse effects of surgery, and postoperative programming.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Movement disorders specialists and non-specialists were in general agreement towards the beneficial role of DBS in management of advanced PD except for whether to refer patients with poor or absent response to levodopa.
authors: Department of Neurology, National Parkinson Foundation Center of Excellence, Harvard Medical School, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, 330 Brookline Avenue, Boston, MA 02215, USA. lshih@bidmc.harvard.edu
authors: Ludy C
authors: LC
authors: Shih
authors: Daniel
authors: D
authors: Tarsy
mesh_terms: D000978:Antiparkinson Agents / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D000075202:Contraindications; D003625:Data Collection; D046690:Deep Brain Stimulation / Q000523:psychology*; D004409:Dyskinesia, Drug-Induced; D006801:Humans; D007980:Levodopa / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use; D008297:Male; D009462:Neurology / Q000379:methods*; D010300:Parkinson Disease / Q000628:therapy*; D010820:Physicians / Q000523:psychology*; D014481:United States; D000078329:Workforce
chemical_list: D000978:Antiparkinson Agents; D007980:Levodopa