Short-term effect of deep brain stimulation on pain associated with Parkinson′s disease

Abstract

Objective To investigate the short-term outcome of deep brain stimulation (DBS) for the treatment of pain associated with PD (Parkinson′s disease). Methods The clinical data of 47 cases of PD patients with pain symptoms admitted to Neurosurgery Department of Northern Theater Command General Hospital from January 2017 to June 2018 were retrospectively analyzed. A total of 35 patients underwent STN (subthalamic nucleus)-DBS and 12 patients underwent GPi (globus pallidus internus)-DBS. The stimulation contact selection and parameter adjustment were carried out at 3 weeks post operation. Visual analogue scale (VAS) was used to evaluate the degree of preoperative and postoperative pain severity. Results The VAS [median (upper and lower quartiles)] were 1.0 (0.5-1.4) and 1.0(0.7-1.6) respectively at 3 months and 6 months post operation in 47 patients, which was statistically different from that of pre-operation 4.0(4.0-8.0) (both P<0.001). At 3 months post operation, the improvement rate of 35 patients undergoing STN-DBS was (79.5±26.3)%, which was not statistically different from that of 12 patients undergoing GPi-DBS [(76.9±28.4)%] (P=0.78). The improvement rate of 35 patients receiving STN-DBS was (75.1±27.4)% 6 months after operation, which was not statistically different from that of 12 patients receiving GPi-DBS [(82.8±28.9)%] (P=0.86). Conclusion Deep brain stimulation could effectively relieve PD-related pain. There seems no significant difference between GPi-DBS and STN-DBS in the treatment outcome of PD-related pain. Key words: Parkinson disease; Pain; Deep brain stimulation; Treatment outcome