Quality of Life as a Predictor of Deep Brain Stimulation Outcome

The worse the quality-of-life score before DBS, the greater the improvement in this score 2 years afterward.

To define whether quality of life is a predictor of outcomes from bilateral subthalamic nucleus deep brain stimulation (STN-DBS) for Parkinson disease (PD), investigators conducted a secondary analysis of the manufacturer-funded, randomized EARLYSTIM clinical trial (NEJM JW Neurol Feb 13 2013; [e-pub] and N Engl J Med 2013; 368:610). There were 124 patients randomized to DBS plus best medical management and 127 randomized to best medical management alone. Quality of life, measured with the Parkinson's Disease Questionnaire summary index (PDQ-39), was the primary outcome.

PDQ-39 score at baseline correlated with the change in PDQ-39 at 2 years in both the STN-DBS and the medical management group: The worse the baseline score, the greater the …

Reviewing Author

Michael S. Okun, MD

Disclosures

Consultant/Advisory BoardParkinson’s Foundation; Tourette Association of America

Speaker’s BureauMedscape/WebMD CME, Movement Disorders Society CME, American Academy of Neurology CME

RoyaltiesBooks4Patients; Demos; Cambridge; Taylor and Francis; Robert Rose; Public Affairs

Grant/Research SupportNational Institutes of Health; Parkinson’s Foundation; Tourette Association of America; University of Florida Foundation

Editorial BoardsTremor and Other Hyperkinetic Movements; JAMA Neurology

Leadership Positions in Professional SocietiesParkinson’s Foundation (Medical Advisor)