Changes in quality of life following unilateral pallidal stimulation in Parkinson's disease

Twenty patients with Parkinson's disease (age range 38-70 years) completed the Sickness Impact Profile (SIP) 2 months before and 3 months after long-term high-frequency electrostimulation of the globus pallidus internus to improve clinical symptoms. The SIP provides an estimate of perceived quality of life on 12 health-status categories. Neurological assessment with the Hoehn and Yahr scale and the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale revealed a significant postoperative reduction in clinical symptomatology (p<0.001). The patients experienced a general improvement in self-reported quality of life that exceeded the purely motor and physical aspects of quality of life. The significant postoperative drop in perceived impairment of communication skills can be considered the most important subjective improvement. Longitudinal research on a larger sample of patients is necessary to evaluate the durability of the subjective improvement in quality of life after unilateral pallidal stimulation.