Parkinson’s disease after the honeymoon period Is the surgery effective?

Parkinson’s disease is a chronic progressive disease, and although there is no complete cure, a combination of medication, surgery and rehabilitation exercises can help patients maintain a normal life. Medication is the most basic treatment for Parkinson’s disease. In the early stages of Parkinson’s disease, the effect of taking medication is generally better. However, the time when Parkinson’s disease medication works well is generally only 4-5 years, which is also called the “honeymoon period” in medicine. -The symptoms of movement fluctuation, such as “on” and “off” symptoms, and the symptoms of different movements. At this time, it is often difficult to achieve satisfactory results with medication alone and a DBS is required. However, at the most severe stage of the disease, the effect of a pacemaker does not improve much, and the pacemaker procedure is most useful only when the on/off phenomenon first appears. DBS improves the different symptoms of Parkinson’s disease to varying degrees For symptoms that can be improved with medication, pacemaker therapy is generally effective. It is most effective for symptoms of resting tremor and muscle rigidity, which can have an immediate effect. It also has a significant effect on motor retardation. It is less effective for difficult starting steps and “freezing” symptoms, and has no significant effect on severe postural instability. Some symptoms that do not work with levodopa drugs, such as constipation, dementia and other vegetative symptoms, are not treated with pacemakers. Ideally, deep brain electrical stimulation may achieve the following results: 1) the patient’s motor function in the off phase is similar to the optimal state of the preoperative “on” phase in the electrical stimulation state; 2) the “off” phase is reduced; 3) there is a reduction in allodynia and motor fluctuations; 4) the main Parkinson’s disease The speech disorders that can be improved in the “on” phase can be improved after DBS; 6. Mild postural instability can be improved, but severe balance disorders are difficult to be improved. Although deep brain electrical stimulation surgery can improve more than 99.2% of the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease, a large number of clinical studies have shown that Parkinson’s surgery should not be considered until the symptoms are so severe that the patient loses his or her job, ability to take care of himself or herself in daily life, or ability to socialize, because then the best time for surgery is lost and the maximum benefit from the surgery cannot be obtained. The best time to consider surgery is after the honeymoon period of medication and the appearance of side effects such as allodynia, usually 5-15 years after the disease has progressed. In conclusion, surgical treatment of Parkinson’s disease is only indicated for those patients who have been treated by experienced neurosurgeons/specialists in movement disorders and whose motor dysfunction continues to interfere with daily life or work despite adequate and effective medication. Specifically, surgery should be considered for patients who have one or more of the following conditions despite the combination of levodopa, receptor agonists, COMT inhibitors, and other medications: a medication “off” period of more than 2 hours per day or anomalies of more than 2 hours per day, and levodopa taken more than 5 times per day. 1. The symptom control effect of the drug does not last for a complete day; 2. The appearance of drug-induced allodynia and end-of-dose phenomenon and impedes motor function; 3. Predictable or unpredictable motor fluctuations; 4. Tremor that cannot be fully controlled by the drug; 5. Dystonia that cannot be fully controlled by the drug; 6. The patient’s daily activities such as work, recreation, and household chores are greatly affected. Implementation of surgical treatment for Parkinson’s disease: Surgery for Parkinson’s disease should be performed in hospitals with certain conditions, including medical equipment with magnetic resonance, precise stereotactic systems, intraoperative electrophysiological monitoring systems, and surgical teams including experienced specialists in neurology, neurosurgery, psychiatry and rehabilitation.