Summaries of Must-Read Clinical Literature, Guidelines, and FDA Actions
Can DBS in early Parkinson’s disease reduce disease progression?
Key clinical point: DBS plus standard medical therapy may reduce disease progression and decrease the need for polypharmacy in patients with early Parkinson’s disease.
Major finding: The odds ratio of worse rest tremor at 5 years was 0.21 among patients who received DBS and drug therapy, compared with patients who received drug therapy alone.
Study details: An observational extension of a 2-year pilot study of 30 patients with early-stage Parkinson’s disease.
Disclosures: Medtronic, which manufactures the DBS device that the investigators used, provided part of the study’s funding. The lead researcher’s institution receives money for educational programs and research that he leads.
Hacker ML et al. Neurology. 2020 Jun 29. doi: 10.1212/WNL.0000000000009946.