[Management of Spinal Disorders in Parkinson's Disease]

Parkinson's disease(PD)is a degenerative disorder of the central nervous system. Its cardinal features are resting tremor, rigidity, bradykinesia, and postural instability. Several years after disease onset, many patients with PD exhibit postural deformities, including camptocormia, Pisa syndrome, and dropped head syndrome, which can lead to spinal deformities. In addition, spinal degenerative disorders are frequently associated with PD and can further impact the patients' quality of life. Current evidence suggests a multifactorial etiology for postural deformities and spinal degenerative disorders in PD, which includes abnormal stress on the spine(biomechanical factors), postural instability and impairment of postural compensation(physiological factors), and imbalance of dopaminergic signals(pharmacological factors). The relative contribution of these factors varies between patients and across symptoms. Consequently, neurologists have difficulty treating these axial problems. Moreover, many studies have reported poor outcomes and high complication rates of spinal surgery in patients with PD, which embarrasses spinal surgeons. An improved understanding of the mechanisms underlying spinal problems in PD might ultimately lead to more effective management of these disabling complications.