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. 2006 Apr;77(4):450-3.
doi: 10.1136/jnnp.2005.078659.

Clinical and neuropsychological follow up at 12 months in patients with complicated Parkinson's disease treated with subcutaneous apomorphine infusion or deep brain stimulation of the subthalamic nucleus

D De Gaspari  1 , C Siri, A Landi, R Cilia, A Bonetti, F Natuzzi, L Morgante, C B Mariani, E Sganzerla, G Pezzoli, A Antonini
Affiliations

Clinical and neuropsychological follow up at 12 months in patients with complicated Parkinson's disease treated with subcutaneous apomorphine infusion or deep brain stimulation of the subthalamic nucleus

D De Gaspari et al. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry. 2006 Apr.

Abstract

Background: The clinical condition of advanced Parkinson's disease (PD) patients is often complicated by motor fluctuations and dyskinesias which are difficult to control with available oral medications.

Objective: To compare clinical and neuropsychological 12 month outcome following subcutaneous apomorphine infusion (APO) and chronic deep brain stimulation of the subthalamic nucleus (STN-DBS) in advanced PD patients.

Methods: Patients with advanced PD and medically untreatable fluctuations underwent either APO (13 patients) or STN-DBS (12 patients). All patients were clinically (UPDRS-III, AIMS, 12 h on-off daily) and neuropsychologically (MMSE, Hamilton-17 depression, NPI) evaluated at baseline and at 12 months. APO was discontinued at night.

Results: At 12 months APO treatment (74.78+/-24.42 mg/day) resulted in significant reduction in off time (-51%) and no change in AIMS. Levodopa equivalent medication doses were reduced from 665.98+/-215 mg/day at baseline to 470+/-229 mg/day. MMSE, NPI, and Hamilton depression scores were unchanged. At 12 months STN-DBS resulted in significant clinical improvement in terms of reduction in daily off time (-76%) and AIMS (-81%) as well as levodopa equivalent medication doses (980+/-835 to 374+/-284 mg/day). Four out of 12 patients had stopped oral medications. MMSE was unchanged (from 28.6+/-0.3 to 28.4+/-0.6). Hamilton depression was also unchanged, but NPI showed significant worsening (from 6.58+/-9.8 to 18.16+/-10.2; p<0.02). Category fluency also declined.

Conclusions: Both APO and STN-DBS resulted in significant clinical improvement in complicated PD. STN-DBS resulted in greater reduction in dopaminergic medications and provided 24 h motor benefit. However, STN-DBS, unlike APO, appears to be associated with significant worsening on NPI resulting from long term behavioral problems in some patients.

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Conflict of interest statement

Competing interests: none declared

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