Surgical Treatment Options – Parkinson’s Foundation

While surgery can be an effective treatment option for different symptoms of Parkinsons disease (PD), only the symptoms that previously improved on levodopaThe medication most commonly given to control the movement symptoms of Parkinsons, usually with carbidopa. It is converted in the brain into dopamine. have the potential to improve after the surgery. Surgical treatment is reserved for PD patients who have exhausted medical treatment of PDtremor Involuntary shaking of the hands, arms, legs, jaw or tongue. The typical Parkinsons tremor is pill-rolling it looks like holding a pill between thumb and forefinger and continuously rolling it around. Some people report an internal tremor, a shaking sensation inside the chest, abdomen or limbs that cannot be seen. Most Parkinsons tremor is resting tremor, which lessens during sleep and when the body part is actively in use. or who suffer profound motor fluctuations Changes in the ability to move, often related to medication timing; also called on-off fluctuations. (wearing off The time period when levodopa begins to lose its effect and symptoms start to become more noticeable. and dyskinesias). Learn more now about the available surgical treatment options and visit theAsk the Surgical Team forum, where Dr. Kelly D. Foote and Dr. Michael S. Okun answer questions about surgical matters andPD.

Currently, there are two surgical treatments available for people living with PD deep brain stimulation (DBS) A surgical treatment for Parkinson's disease. A special wire (lead) is inserted into a specific area of the brain responsible for movement. The lead is connected to a pacemaker-like device implanted in the chest region. This device creates electrical pulses, sent through the lead, which stimulate the brain and control abnormal brain cell activity. or surgery performed to insert a tube in the small intestine, which delivers a gel formulation of carbidopa A medication used together with levodopa to enhance its effects. When carbidopa is added to levodopa, the dose of levodopa you take can be smaller while still getting the same benefits, with fewer side effects./levodopa (Duopa).

Page reviewed by Dr. Chauncey Spears, Movement Disorders Fellow at the University of Florida, a Parkinsons Foundation Center of Excellence.

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Surgical Treatment Options - Parkinson's Foundation