Issue release date: 12.11.2024
2Istanbul Medipol University, Parkinson?s Disease and Movement Disorders Center, Istanbul, Turkey
3Sincan Dr Nafiz Korez State Hospital, Neurology Clinic, Ankara, Turkey
4Ankara University School of Medicine, Department of Neurosurgery, Ankara, Turkey
5Ankara University School of Medicine, Department of Neurology, Ankara, Turkey DOI : 10.5137/1019-5149.JTN.40367-22.2 AIM: To determine caregivers? impressions of the impact of STN-DBS on motor and non-motor symptoms of Parkinson?s disease (PD) in patients who underwent subthalamic nucleus deep brain stimulation (STN-DBS), evaluate the relationship of these changes with disease characteristics, and examine their contribution to the daily lives of patients.
MATERIAL and METHODS: The caregivers of patients who underwent STN-DBS were interviewed over the telephone. All telephone interviews were recorded, and changes in the motor and non-motor symptoms of the patients after STN-DBS were evaluated with a standardized questionnaire.
RESULTS: Of the 173 patients with PD who underwent STN-DBS between 2005 and 2015, 62 who could be contacted by telephone were enrolled in the study. The mean age of the patients was 59.71 ± 9.78 years (range: 33-77 years). The mean disease duration was 15.62 ± 8.66 years (Range: 4-50 years). STN-DBS was performed on average 3.88 ± 2.6 years earlier (range: 1-11 years). According to the caregivers of the patients, there was a reduction in ?off? periods in 79% of the patients, tremor in 58.1%, dyskinesia in 59.6%, depression in 46.8 %, pain symptoms in 41.9%, and improvement in sleep problems in 43.6% after STN-DBS. Moreover, 80.6% of the patients reported an improvement in their daily life activities after STN-DBS.
CONCLUSION: From the caregivers? perspective, there was an improvement in the non-motor symptoms as well as the motor symptoms of patients with PD after STN-DBS, and this had a positive effect on the activities of daily lives in the majority of patients. Telephone interviews can be considered as an alternative method in the follow-up of patients with PD, especially when they cannot be assessed face-to-face.
Keywords : Parkinson?s Disease, DBS, Caregiver impression