Second surgery 'could benefit Parkinson's patients'

Parkinson's disease patients who experience poor results after electrode implantation may benefit from second surgery to correct the placement, a new report suggests.

A study conducted at the University Hospital A Michallon, Strasbourg, France found that correct implantation of electrodes can be effective in lowering the dose of medication needed as well as improving symptoms of Parkinson's disease.

According to the findings, with this treatment, medication doses can be reduced by half to 65 per cent, and scores on scales measuring motor function can improve by 40 per cent to 70 per cent.

Lead researcher Dr Mathieu Anheim said: "Although neurosurgeons aim to minimize shifts from the originally planned electrode positions, this does not exclude the possibility that inadequate surgical technique may be responsible for postoperative lack of benefit."

The National Parkinson Foundation estimates that 60,000 new cases of the disease are diagnosed in the US each year.

While Parkinson's usually develops in people over the age of 65, 15 per cent of those diagnosed with the disease are under the age of 50.