There are still many uncertainties regarding surgery and research is ongoing. Clearly surgery can produce benefits for some people with advanced Parkinson’s, but questions remain, such as the long term effects, whether any of the procedures delay the progression of the illness, when the optimum time to perform surgery is and which techniques are most effective. It may be that a combination of surgical techniques provides the best symptom control but further research is required.
There are some promising developments in further surgical techniques to replace and/or restore the dying dopamine producing brain cells and the outcome of current research is eagerly awaited.
