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"Phil E.Gesotti" <[log in to unmask]> wrote: So levodopa is the best treatment that we have today for PD. Studies have shown that neither Pallidotomy nor DBS can improve functional performance beyond that provided by levodopa. In other words, you are not restored to normal function with any of the interventions and the effects of DBS and levodopa are not additive. The primary benefit of Pallidotomy and DBS is to allow reduction in medication to avoid dyskinesias while maintaining more function during the valleys of the medication cycle. and “No surgical transplant therapy has been shown to provide benefits better than the “best” of levodopa treatment in blinded studies. What we really need is a treatment that can improve on levodopa and also benefit other features of the disease. This is the standard we need to shoot for,” Dr. Olanow concluded." Hi Phil and everyone, I am new to the list and so far have found it to be interesting and informative. What I would like to know is, given that there is a 30% chance of developing dyskinesia after two years of levodopa therapy, and a 50% chance after five years of levodopa therapy, is anyone else disturbed by levodopa being held up as the "best" treatment for PD, the treatment that must be surpassed (by therapies requiring brain surgery, at least) in order for them to be considered successful? If you were given a choice between 5 years of levodopa-level symptom relief with a 50% chance of having developed dyskinesias by the end of that period, and 5 years and maybe more of somewhat less than levodopa-level symptom relief, with the risks of brain surgery but *without* the risk of dyskinesias, which would you choose? Admittedly, I have not researched extensively the percentage risk that things go wrong with DBS or pallidotomy. But if it is anything like what I see at first glance, (2-3% chance of hemmorage) i would choose the latter. It seems to me that when levodopa is held up as the gold standard, it is done so by turning a blind eye to a side effect that seems to me, not having experienced it, quite problematic. I would love to hear your thoughts. mackenzie --------------------------------- Do you Yahoo!? ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn New and Improved Yahoo! Mail - 100MB free storage!