Unilateral anterior capsulotomy combined with deep brain stimulation for Parkinson's disease psychosis and motor dysfunctions

Psychosis is a frequent and debilitating non-motor symptom of Parkinson's disease (PD). This study aimed to evaluate the availability of unilateral anterior capsulotomy combined with subthalamic nucleus deep brain stimulation (STN-DBS) in managing advanced PD patients comorbid with psychosis. Five advanced PD patients with psychosis who had been treated with unilateral anterior capsulotomy combined with bilateral STN-DBS were assessed. The positive subscore of the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) and the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale III (UPDRS-III) were used to assess the efficacy parameter of psychosis and the improved motor symptoms, respectively. The quality of life (QoL) was accessed by an 8-item Parkinson's disease Questionnaire (PDQ-8). Clinical outcome assessments were performed at baseline and follow-ups after one or two years. Significant improvement was observed in PD patients during follow-up after the combined treatment. The positive subscore of PANSS improved by 13.4 (5.7) (mean (SD), p = 0.006). Item P1 (delusions) and Item P3 (hallucinations) of the PANSS improved by 5.0 (0.71) (p < 0.0001) and 3.6 (0.89) (p = 0.0008), respectively. Furthermore, the motor symptoms improved by 32.4 (5.7) (UPDRS-III, p = 0.0002), and the QoL improved by 6.4 (3.8) (PDQ-8, p = 0.021). No significant side effects or complications occurred during the study. For advanced PD patients with refractory psychosis, unilateral anterior capsulotomy combined with bilateral STN-DBS improved PD psychosis and motor dysfunction, providing an effective therapeutic option for such patients.