Cost-effectiveness of subthalmic nucleus deep brain stimulation for the treatment of advanced Parkinson disease in Hong Kong: a prospective study.

Background: Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is an effective but costly treatment for patients with advanced Parkinson disease (PD). This study examined the cost-effectiveness of DBS in relation to its improved effectiveness to help funding decision makers decide whether the treatment should be adopted. The incremental cost-effective ratio (ICER) per quality-adjusted life year has been benchmarked as being between US$50,000 and US$100,000 by US agencies, whereas it is less than €30,000 per quality-adjusted life year in Europe.

Intracranial electroencephalogram to evaluate refractory temporal and frontal lobe epilepsy.

Objective: We undertook a collaborative study in a multidisciplinary team to channel refractory epilepsy patients to test a hypothesis about placement of intracranial electroencephalography arrays.

Design: This was a descriptive case series. Prospective non-invasive presurgical evaluations were based on clinical semiology, magnetic resonance imaging, video-electroencephalography findings and neuropsychological assessments.

Disorientation and reconstruction:the meaning searching pathways of patients with colorectal cancer.

This study examines psychosocial difficulties faced by Chinese patients with colorectal cancer, and attempts to identify factors that contribute to the meaning searching process that in turn brings about growth and transformation. Twenty-six patients with colorectal cancer were interviewed. Data were analyzed using the constant comparative method.