The Role of Deep Brain Stimulation Procedure on the Quality of Life in Patients with Parkinson’s Disease

Sa？etak Introduction. Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) is an electrical stimulation of the individual cells of the central nervous system. DBS is today most often used to treat movement disorders such as Parkinson's disease, dystonia, Tourette syndrome etc. The goal of DBS is improving the quality of life of patients, specifically by improving their motor function, reduction in drug therapy they use as well as reducing pain and neurological deficits. Methods. We analyzed the quality of life pre- and post-operatively in 95 patients with DBS implantations. The patients were operated on at the Department of Neurosurgery of the University Hospital Dubrava in Zagreb for treating Parkinson’s disease. The patients which were included were operated on from 2007-2015. All patients underwent this highly specialized procedure that consists of implanting electrodes in the subthalamic nuclei (STN) as well as extension and battery implantation. Results. Four characteristics were analyzed: the patient’s ability to clothe, eat and walk independently without assistance as well as their overall satisfaction with the quality of life after the procedure. After the onset of the stimulation, improvement wwas seen in all of the observed parameters. Conclusion. This kind of procedure has been shown to be justified in treating Parkinson’s disease symptoms and improving the quality of life and independence in these patients