Deep Brain Stimulation for Parkinson's Disease-the Developing World's Perspective

Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is the most widely used device-assisted therapy in patients with moderately advanced stages of Parkinson's disease (PD) experiencing motor complications. Only a minority of eligible patients get the opportunity to undergo DBS in the developing world.

To examine the proportion and characteristics of patients with motor complications of PD who are willing for DBS and who undergo surgery.

Patients with motor complications of PD eligible for DBS over a five-year study period (2016-2020) were included. The demographic, clinical and socio-economic characteristics and information on their status in 2021 were collected and analyzed.

Among 1017 patients, 223 had motor symptoms qualifying for DBS and follow-up information available. Only 78 (35%) opted for surgery. The willing patients had higher socioeconomic status, were older and had longer duration of PD and motor complications, more freezing of gait, cognitive symptoms, and neuropsychiatric disturbances. 37 of them were found unfit during pre-operative work-up; only 41 (18%) with motor complications were finally taken up for DBS. Age, duration or severity of motor symptoms did not differ between patients who were finally selected for surgery and those who were not.

Less than one-fifth of our patients with motor complications of PD finally underwent DBS. The patients appeared to wait till the late stages of PD, before making a decision on availing surgical treatment. The delay resulted in nearly half of them being found unfit in pre-operative work-up. Our findings may enable clinicians to counsel eligible patients more efficiently.