Annals of neurology
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Annals of neurology · May 2003
Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical TrialRandomized trial of pallidotomy versus medical therapy for Parkinson's disease.
Thirty-six patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) were randomized to either medical therapy (N = 18) or unilateral GPi pallidotomy (N = 18). The primary outcome variable was the change in total Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) score at 6 months. Secondary outcome variables included subscores and individual parkinsonian symptoms as determined from the UPDRS. ⋯ A total of twenty patients have been followed for 2 years to assess the effect of time on clinical outcome. These patients have shown sustained improvement in the total UPDRS (p < 0.0001), "off" motor (p < 0.0001) and complications of therapy subscores (p < 0.0001). Sustained improvement was also seen for tremor, rigidity, bradykinesia, percent on time and drug-induced dyskinesias.