Subcutaneous continuous apomorphine infusion in fluctuating patients with Parkinson's disease: long-term results

Abstract

Fluctuations in motor disability and dyskinesias are the major problem in the long-term treatment of Parkinson's disease (PD). Many authors and ourselves have shown that by giving patients a continuous infusion of levodopa it is possible to control motor fluctuations. Levodopa can be administered continuously only by intravenous, intragastric or intrajejunal delivery. Continuous dopaminergic stimulation can be achieved more easily by infusing dopamine agonists subcutaneously. Apomorphine is a potent water-soluble dopamine receptor agonist that has been shown to successfully control motor fluctuation when subcutaneously infused in complicated parkinsonian patients. We report the clinical data of 30 PD patients having at least five years of treatment with subcutaneous continuous apomorphine infusion.