Deep brain stimulation therapy for Parkinson's disease using frameless stereotaxy: comparison with frame-based...

Area of Science:

• Neurosurgery
• Neurology
• Medical Technology

Background:

• Traditionally, frame-based stereotaxy was used for deep brain stimulation (DBS) surgery.
• Frameless stereotaxy has emerged as a newer alternative for DBS procedures.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the outcomes and procedural efficiency of frameless versus frame-based DBS surgery.
• The study focused on patients with Parkinson's disease.

Main Methods:

• A cohort of 24 Parkinson's disease patients underwent DBS surgery, with 12 receiving frameless and 12 receiving frame-based stereotaxy.
• Subthalamus targeting was performed using microelectrode recording (MER), followed by electrode implantation and generator connection.
• Patient outcomes were assessed for at least 12 months post-operation.

Main Results:

• No significant difference in motor function improvement (Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale-III) was observed between frameless and frame-based DBS after 1 year.
• Patients undergoing frameless surgery experienced significantly shorter total microelectrode recording (MER) time.
• The frameless group also required a significantly smaller number of trajectories during MER.

Conclusions:

• Frameless DBS surgery yields comparable clinical motor outcomes to frame-based DBS for Parkinson's disease.
• Frameless DBS demonstrates advantages by reducing operation time, MER time, and the number of MER trajectories.