Levodopa is the “gold standard” in the treatment of Parkinson’s Disease The combination of surgery and medication is more effective As the pathogenesis of the disease is not yet clear, there is a lack of effective means of prevention or eradication, and only symptomatic treatment is available at present. Levodopa remains the “gold standard” for the treatment of Parkinson’s disease. However, levodopa can not make the patient’s symptoms get long-lasting relief, after 3 to 5 years of good efficacy of the “honeymoon period”, the disease further aggravation, drug treatment side effects also gradually appeared. At this time, many patients appear “movement complications”, on the one hand, manifested as “end-dose phenomenon”, that is, the duration of the drug effect is shortened, the effect of the last drug often can not be maintained until the next time to take the drug, on the other hand, manifested as On the other hand, it is manifested as “anisotropy”, i.e., involuntary choreographic movements of the hands, feet, head, neck and other parts of the body after the drug has taken effect or the drug has disappeared. In the early stages of motor complications, clinicians can address these problems by adjusting the type of medication, dosage, and duration of administration. As the course of the disease prolongs and the motor complications worsen, the patient’s responsiveness to medications decreases and it becomes increasingly difficult to adjust medications. Due to the lack of effective control of symptoms, the patient’s working ability is lost, self-care ability decreases, and the quality of life is greatly reduced. If non-motor symptoms (such as insomnia, constipation, upright hypotension, anxiety and depression, and intellectual decline) exist at the same time, it will bring even greater distress to the patient and his family. In this case, patients may consider surgical treatment if the problem cannot be solved by relying on medication alone. Deep electrical stimulation of the thalamic nuclei (STN DBS) is an effective surgical tool for the treatment of motor symptoms as well as motor complications in Parkinson’s disease, and is more commonly used in developed countries. Although many people do not realize that Parkinson’s disease can be treated surgically, in fact scholars abroad have begun to explore surgical treatments for Parkinson’s disease long before the introduction of levodopa. Compared with the past, surgical treatment of Parkinson’s disease has made a quantum leap in terms of technicality and safety, and its efficacy can be comparable to that of medication, with reduced dosage and thus fewer side effects. For patients with middle to advanced Parkinson’s disease, a combination of surgery and medication is preferable to medication alone. Led by the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University (Zhongshan First Hospital) in Guangzhou, the most standardized DBS treatment center in China, with Zhongshan First Hospital, Prince of Wales Hospital in Hong Kong, and the Second People’s Hospital of Shenzhen as the surgical centers, and with the Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Zhongshan City People’s Hospital, the First Affiliated Hospital of Shantou University Medical College, Jiangmen Municipal Central Hospital, and the North People’s Hospital of Yuebei City as the referral centers. A clinical trial entitled “Comparison of the efficacy of deep brain electrical stimulation of the thalamic nucleus for the treatment of motor complications in Parkinson’s disease” has been registered in the International Clinical Trials Registry (ICTR) and has passed the audit. Volunteers are being recruited for the trial, mainly for Parkinson’s disease patients with motor complications, but also for Parkinson’s disease patients with early motor complications (less than 3 years old). Interested patients can consult the Department of Neurology or Parkinson’s Disease Specialist at the above mentioned branch centers. Patients interested in surgery can be enrolled into the study through initial screening. After enrollment, patients will undergo preoperative evaluation, intraoperative monitoring, and postoperative follow-up, while postoperative follow-up will be done by the recommended centers. Postoperative patients may return to the hospital for adjustment of medications and stimulation parameters as needed. As this is a long-term study, full understanding and cooperation from patients and their families is required – only regular follow-up will ensure the effectiveness of the procedure. DBS surgery can reduce patients’ medication consumption by 50%, correctly recognize the role of surgery Given that many patients do not know much about Parkinson’s surgical treatment, Prof. Ling Chen, Chief Physician of Neurology Department of the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, told us that the biggest advantage of Parkinson’s surgical treatment is that it can reduce the “end-of-agent” phenomenon of Parkinson’s medication, which will have a positive impact on patients’ future development and improve their health. The biggest advantage of Parkinson’s surgery is that it can effectively reduce the “end-of-dose phenomenon” of Parkinson’s medication, which opens up the space of medication for future treatment. This can improve the quality of life of Parkinson’s patients, and there are even precedents of completely stopping medication after surgery. The surgical standard, environment and service of the DBS Therapy Surgery Center at Zhongshan First Hospital are recognized by the Prince of Wales Hospital in Hong Kong, which guarantees the quality of the surgery, and the follow-up visit after the surgery is completely free of charge, helping patients to have a good grasp of their condition after the surgery and improve their quality of life. For most patients, the biggest obstacle to undergoing surgery should be the cost. Associate Professor Yang Chao of the Department of Neurosurgery at the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University pointed out that the current cost of Parkinson’s DBS surgery is around 250,000-300,000 yuan, and the amount of medication used by the patients after the surgery can be reduced by about 50%, which not only saves the patients the cost of the daily medication and reduces the side effects of the medication, but also improves the quality of life of patients, and the surgery benefits the patients for the longest time of up to 8-9 years. Especially for patients with severe symptoms, the medication and escort costs saved within 8-9 years after the surgery can basically offset the cost of the surgery for the patient, but the quality of life improved for the patient can not be measured in monetary terms. Finally, Prof. Chen Ling also reminded patients, hope that patients can correctly understand the treatment of Parkinson’s, surgery and drugs are mainly aimed at the tremor, myotonia and other limb symptoms, for swallowing, low speech, slow start and other symptoms of the central axis is more dependent on rehabilitation training.