Article Title: Spinal Cord Stimulation for Gait Disturbances in Parkinson’s Disease.
Authors: Vanegas-Arroyave, N., Jankovic, J
Journal: Expert Review of Neurotherapeutics
Bibliometrics: Volume 23, Number 07, pages 651-659
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/ 10.1080/14737175.2023.2228492
Initially, the manuscript was published online with incorrect abstract (without Expert Opinion section).
Now, it has now been replaced with the corrected abstract in the original version.
ABSTRACT
Introduction: Gait disturbances are a major contributor to the disability associated with Parkinson’s disease. Although pharmacologic therapies and deep brain stimulation improve most motor parkinsonian features, their effects on gait are highly variable. Spinal cord stimulation, typically used for the treatment of chronic pain, has emerged as a potential therapeutic approach to improve gait disturbances in Parkinson’s disease.Areas covered: The authors review the available evidence on the effects of spinal cord stimulation in patients with Parkinson’s disease, targeting primarily gait abnormalities. They also discuss possible mechanisms, efficacy, safety and methodological implications for future clinical trials. This systematic review of original published articles in English language was performed using The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA).Expert opinion: Overall, there was a positive effect of spinal cord stimulation on gait outcomes in most studies. However, the open label study designs limited the ability to characterize the independent effects of spinal cord stimulation in patients with Parkinson’s disease. Also, optimal levels of implantation and stimulation paradigms remain to be determined. Future research seeking to understand these fundamental pieces of information may help in the formulation, design, and interpretation of pivotal clinical trials of spinal cord stimulation for Parkinson’s disease.