In a nutshell
This study looked at the effectiveness of deep brain stimulation (DBS) in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) and stomach problems. It found that DBS was associated with an improvement in stomach disorders and a reduced need for medication.
Some background
PD is a neurologic condition that can be difficult to treat as medications can become less effective over time. When this happens, patients can suffer from a range of symptoms including delayed gatric emptying. Delayed gastric emptying occurs when the stomach and gut muscles cannot function properly. The stomach and gut are unable to move food through the digestive tract properly. Food, therefore, sits in the stomach for longer than it should, causing nausea, heartburn, and stomach pain.
DBS is a treatment that is used when PD medications are not controlling symptoms. DBS involves a surgeon placing thin wires in the brain to stimulate certain parts of it. DBS is known to improve PD symptoms. However, it is not known if DBS also improves gastric emptying.
Methods & findings
26 patients with PD were involved in this study. All patients underwent DBS treatment and were followed up for 6 months.
Before treatment with DBS, the average gastric emptying time of PD patients was 55.19 minutes, compared to 29.23 minutes in people without PD. 6 months after DBS, the gastric emptying time of these patients was reduced to 33.84 minutes.
Patients also needed less medication after DBS. After DBS, the average levodopa (Sinemet) dose was reduced from 1009.8 mg to 707.65 mg.
The bottom line
This study showed that DBS improves gastric emptying in patients with Parkinson's disease. It also reduces their need for medication.
The fine print
This study had a very small number of participants. More studies are needed to evaluate how DBS improves gastric emptying.
Published By :
World neurosurgery
Date :
Jul 31, 2021
