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A Novel Approach to Assess Motor Outcome of Deep Brain Stimulation Effects in the Hemiparkinsonian Rat: Staircase and Cylinder Test
Published on: May 31, 2016
Bilateral subthalamic nucleus stimulation improves health-related quality of life in Parkinsonian patients
Tuomo Erola1, Petri Karinen, Esa Heikkinen
1Department of Neurosurgery, Oulu University Hospital, P.O. Box 21, FIN-90029 Oys, Finland. tuomo.erola@pp.inet.fi
Abstract:
Parkinson's disease (PD) is a common neurological disorder. Recently, bilateral deep brain stimulation (DBS) of the subthalamic nucleus (STN) has become an option in the treatment of severe PD. We measured the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of 27 parkinsonian patients, who underwent a bilateral STN-operation. The instruments used for the evaluation of the HRQoL were the Parkinson's Disease Questionnaire (PDQ-39) and the Finnish version of the Nottingham Health Profile (NHP). We found that the quality of life significantly improved when measured with both HRQoL scales. Clinical improvement and improvement in HRQoL were positively correlated.
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