Consensus expert recommendations for referral of Parkinson’s disease patients for deep brain stimulation surgery

Deep brain Stimulation (DBS) surgery effectively alleviates troublesome motor symptoms of Parkinson's disease (PD) such as tremor, rigidity, bradykinesia, motor fluctuations and dyskinesia. It also improves some non-motor symptoms and quality of life. DBS should thus be considered when these symptoms interfere with quality of life despite optimal medical treatment. While DBS benefits are clear, access by eligible patients remains low. Patients and their caregivers should be educated regarding DBS surgery and referrals for surgical evaluation should occur alongside ongoing medication adjustments-particularly when those changes fail to adequately control motor symptoms-regardless of the stage of disease progression. This international panel of DBS experts developed consensus recommendations with the goals of promoting timely referrals and approvals, while reducing misconceptions and stigma associated with brain surgery. These recommendations provide a framework for referring providers, ensuring that appropriate candidates receive timely access to this beneficial treatment.

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Publication Details

Journal
npj Parkinson s Disease
Published
2026-01-03
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41531-025-01241-3
Citations
2
Primary Topic
Neurological disorders and treatments
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
78.30

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article

Consensus expert recommendations for referral of Parkinson’s disease patients for deep brain stimulation surgery

Hwai Ooi, Christopher Tolleson, Camilla Kilbane, Philip W. Tipton et al.
2 citations
npj Parkinson s Disease
Neurological disorders and treatments
78.30
article

Consensus expert recommendations for referral of Parkinson’s disease patients for deep brain stimulation surgery

Hwai Ooi, Christopher Tolleson, Camilla Kilbane, Philip W. Tipton, Mitesh Lotia, Meredith Spindler, Mumtaz Siddiqui, Todd M. Herrington, Lan Luo, Sol De Jesus, Joshua M. Rosenow, Monica Arena, Alfonso A. Fasano, Travis H. Turner, Delaram Safarpour, Neepa Patel, Okeanis Vaou, Laura Y. Cabrera, Vibhash D. Sharma, Kelvin L. Chou, Camila M. Aquino, Corneliu Luca, Gonzalo J. Revuelta, Svjetlana Miocinovic, Nathan Hantke, Leonardo Almeida, Zoltan Mari, Renato P. Munhoz, Joohi Jimenez-Shahed, Kathryn Wyman-Chick, Christos Sidiropoulos, On behalf of the Functional Neurosurgical working group of the Parkinson Study Group, Harini Sarva, Kelly A. Mills
article en
2 citations

Abstract

Deep brain Stimulation (DBS) surgery effectively alleviates troublesome motor symptoms of Parkinson's disease (PD) such as tremor, rigidity, bradykinesia, motor fluctuations and dyskinesia. It also improves some non-motor symptoms and quality of life. DBS should thus be considered when these symptoms interfere with quality of life despite optimal medical treatment. While DBS benefits are clear, access by eligible patients remains low. Patients and their caregivers should be educated regarding DBS surgery and referrals for surgical evaluation should occur alongside ongoing medication adjustments-particularly when those changes fail to adequately control motor symptoms-regardless of the stage of disease progression. This international panel of DBS experts developed consensus recommendations with the goals of promoting timely referrals and approvals, while reducing misconceptions and stigma associated with brain surgery. These recommendations provide a framework for referring providers, ensuring that appropriate candidates receive timely access to this beneficial treatment.

npj Parkinson s DiseaseVol. 12(1)
Northwestern University (US), Rush University Medical Center (US), University of Minnesota (US), Pennsylvania State University (US), Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (US), Cleveland Clinic (US), Emory Healthcare (US), Humanitas University (IT), Harvard University (US), Johns Hopkins University (US), Orlando Health (US), Medical University of South Carolina (US), Oregon Health & Science University (US), University of Calgary (CA), University of Toronto (CA), Cornell University (US), University of Michigan (US), Toronto Western Hospital (CA), University Hospitals of Cleveland (US), AdventHealth Orlando (US), Johns Hopkins Medicine (US), Lou Ruvo Brain Institute (US), Adventist University of Health Sciences (US), University of Tennessee Medical Center (US), Massachusetts General Hospital (US), University of Miami Health System (US), Park Nicollet Health Services (US), Park Nicollet Clinic (US), Johns Hopkins Hospital (US), Ontario Brain Institute (CA), IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital (IT), Weill Cornell Medicine (US), Krembil Brain Institute, The University of Texas at San Antonio (US), Wake Forest University (US), Libin Cardiovascular Institute of Alberta (CA), University of Tennessee at Knoxville (US), University of Pennsylvania (US), Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center (US), The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (US), Michigan State University (US), Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai (US)
International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society, Boston Scientific Corporation
Openalex Percentile: Top 0%
Neurological disorders and treatments
78.30
DOIOpen Access PDFOpenAlex
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