Surgical Therapies for Parkinson Disease

Parkinson disease (PD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder that is often difficult to manage with medications alone. This article reviews the current therapeutic surgical interventions for PD, patient selection criteria, timing of patient referral to surgical services, procedure overview, and future directions.

Adaptive, or closed-loop, deep brain stimulation is a promising therapy that can detect ongoing circuit changes and deliver appropriate stimulation based on the patient's dominant symptom and level of dopaminergic medication.

Patients with PD can benefit from surgical interventions that can be added to their medication regimen. These patients should be referred to comprehensive centers that offer complete multidisciplinary screening evaluation to ensure appropriate patient selection and intervention selection. With the appropriate surgical intervention and continued management from their care team, patients with PD can maximize their quality of life.