Neurosurgery in Parkinson's disease: the doctor is happy, the patient less so?

Abstract

Despite the overall excellent outcome of neurosurgery in patients with Parkinson's disease, there is often a contrast between the improvement in motor disability and the difficulties of patients to reintegrate a normal life. In this study, the personal, familial and professional difficulties experienced by patients two years after bilateral high frequency stimulation of the subthalamic nucleus were carefully analyzed. To avoid such socio-familial maladjustment, we strongly suggest taking into consideration the patients' psychological and social context before the operation and during the post-operative follow-up.