Profile and outcomes of Parkinson's disease deep brain stimulation in a public tertiary center in Brazil…

ObservationalArquivos de neuro-psiquiatria· Jun 2026

Profile and outcomes of Parkinson's disease deep brain stimulation in a public tertiary center in Brazil: retrospective cohort.

Juan Sebastián Sánchez-León, Alexandre Baldissera, Giovana Zazo Guidio … Daniel Teixeira Dos Santos

Stereotactic & FunctionalObservationalTreatmentQ3IF 1.7

Deep brain stimulation was linked to ~25% lower dopaminergic drug doses at 12 months.

Profile and outcomes of Parkinson's disease deep brain stimulation in a public tertiary center in Brazil: retrospective cohort.

Juan Sebastián Sánchez-León … Daniel Teixeira Dos Santos

Arquivos de neuro-psiquiatria · Jun 2026 · Q3 in Neurology

Background

Deep brain stimulation (deep brain stimulation) is an established surgical therapy for advanced Parkinson's disease (PD), but, in Latin America, access remains restricted, and local data are limited.

Purpose

To describe the demographic, clinical, and procedural profile, as well as the treatment outcomes and perioperative complications, of patients undergoing deep brain stimulation at a Brazilian reference center.

Methods

We conducted a retrospective observational study including 101 patients with PD who underwent bilateral deep brain stimulation implantation between 2012 and 2024 at Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre, Brazil, within the public healthcare system.

n = 101 patients

Results

~25%

dopamine drug doses fell after deep brain stimulation, lasting through 12 months

n = 101 patients

More results

The mean age at surgery was of 62.2 years; 63.4% of the patients were male.

The mean ages at symptom onset, diagnosis, deep brain stimulation indication, and surgery were of 43.1, 45.7, 54.5, and 56.7 years respectively.

Motor fluctuations (53.5%) and dyskinesias (41.6%) were the most common indications.

More results

The subthalamic nucleus (subthalamic nucleus) was the predominant target (97%).

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Conclusion · 1 of 2

In the cohort of the present study, deep brain stimulation was safe and enabled a sustained reduction in dopaminergic medication during follow-up.

Conclusion · 2 of 2

Despite these benefits, delays in surgery, limited access through the public health system, and device-availability issues continue to limit broader implementation, highlighting persistent structural inequalities in Latin America.

Profile and outcomes of Parkinson's disease deep brain stimulation in a public tertiary center in Brazil: retrospective cohort.

Profile and outcomes of Parkinson's disease deep brain stimulation in a public tertiary center in Brazil: retrospective cohort.

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