Movement disorders : official journal of the Movement Disorder Society
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Psychotic symptoms are a frequent occurrence in Parkinson's disease (PD), affecting up to 50% of patients. The Movement Disorder Society established a Task Force on Rating Scales in PD, and this critique applies to published, peer-reviewed rating psychosis scales used in PD psychosis studies. Twelve psychosis scales/questionnaires were reviewed. ⋯ Since one scale may not be able to serve all needs, a scale used to measure clinical response and change over time [such as the Clinical Global Impression Scale (CGIS)] may need to be combined with another scale better at cataloging specific features [such as the Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI) or Schedule for Assessment of Positive Symptoms (SAPS)]. At the present time, for clinical trials on PD psychosis assessing new treatments, the following are recommended primary outcome scales: NPI (for the cognitively impaired PD population or when a caregiver is required), SAPS, Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS), or Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS) (for the cognitively intact PD population or when the patient is the sole informant). The CGIS is suggested as a secondary outcome scale to measure change and response to treatment over time.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study
Botulinum toxin type B vs. type A in toxin-naïve patients with cervical dystonia: Randomized, double-blind, noninferiority trial.
The objective of this study was to compare efficacy, safety, and duration of botulinum toxin type A (BoNT-A) and type B (BoNT-B) in toxin-naïve cervical dystonia (CD) subjects. BoNT-naïve CD subjects were randomized to BoNT-A or BoNT-B and evaluated in a double-blind trial at baseline and every 4-weeks following one treatment. The primary measure was the change in Toronto Western Spasmodic Torticollis Rating Scale (TWSTRS) from baseline to week 4 post-injection. ⋯ There were no significant differences in the occurrence of injection site pain and dysphagia. Mild dry mouth was more frequent with BoNT-B but there were no differences for moderate/severe dry mouth. In this study, both BoNT-A and B were shown to be effective and safe for the treatment of toxin-naive CD subjects.
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Deep brain stimulation (DBS) has assumed a prominent role in the treatment of Parkinson's disease (PD). In this manuscript, we attempt to estimate the prevalence and categorize adverse events (AEs) of DBS in PD, based on efficacy studies published over the last decade. We conclude that reliable categorization and quantification of AEs based on available data poses many challenges and argue that a standardized scheme for reporting AEs should be created. This would provide a foundation for a meaningful risk/benefit analysis, for comparison of results between centers and, ultimately, for a well informed decision by physicians and patients as to whether surgery should be pursued.
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To report a case of exacerbation of blepharospasm after bilateral globus pallidus internus (GPi) deep brain stimulator (DBS) placement. A 69-year-old male presented after bilateral GPi DBS placement for blepharospasm and craniocervical dystonia with worsening eyelid spasms and associated apraxia of lid opening (ALO). Numerous attempts to adjust DBS parameters were ineffective. ⋯ The patient had significant improvement of blepharospasm and ALO. Although early success has been reported with DBS placement in a small number of patients with focal dystonias, further studies and longer follow-up are needed to demonstrate whether this will prove to be a useful approach in the treatment of blepharospasm. Upper eyelid myectomy can provide an effective means for treating blepharospasm and associated ALO.