Subthalamic nucleus deep brain stimulation outcome in young onset Parkinson's disease: a role for age at disease onset?

Background: Patients with young onset Parkinson's disease (YOPD) are often candidates for subthalamic nucleus-deep brain stimulation (STN-DBS). Nevertheless, few data have been reported on the long term STN-DBS clinical outcome of YOPD versus non-young onset Parkinson's disease (n-YOPD) patients.

Aim: In this study, the issue of whether YOPD might represent a long term positive predictive factor for STN-DBS was addressed, comparing follow-up data for 20 YOPD and 40 n-YOPD patients (20 treated after <15 years of disease duration and 20 treated after ≥15 years of disease duration).

Beyond nine years of continuous subthalamic nucleus deep brain stimulation in Parkinson's disease.

Deep brain stimulation of the subthalamic nucleus is an effective treatment for advanced Parkinson's disease. The benefits of bilateral subthalamic stimulation are well documented, and some studies reported outcomes with a follow-up of 5 to 6 years; nevertheless, few data are available beyond 5 years. We report a long-term prospective evaluation of 14 consecutive parkinsonian patients, treated by bilateral subthalamic stimulation for at least 9 years.

Transient effects of 80 Hz stimulation on gait in STN DBS treated PD patients: a 15 months follow-up study.

Background: Subthalamic nucleus deep brain stimulation (STN DBS) is an effective therapeutic option for advanced Parkinson's disease (PD). Nevertheless, some patients develop gait disturbances despite a persistent improvement of PD segmental symptoms. Recent studies reported that stimulation of STN with low frequencies produced a positive effect on gait disorders and freezing episodes.