Objective: This study aimed to investigate the changes in quality of life (QoL), depression and experiences of women with PD implanted with a DBS.This study aimed to investigate the changes in quality of life (QoL), depression and experiences of women with PD implanted with a DBS.

Background: Despite a rise in deep brain stimulator (DBS) implantation in women with Parkinson’s disease (PD) in Korea, these women’s experiences and changes in QoL remain unclear.

Method: This mixed method case study analyzed and categorized the completed interviews of participants. Data were collected through questionnaires, individual in-depth interviews, and an electronic medical recording review. We recruited the patients from December 2019 to April 2020 to obtain qualitative data. We analyzed the United Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), and the 39 item Parkinson’s disease questionnaire (PDQ-39) as quantitative data before and after DBS implantation.

Results: Twelve women with PD who underwent DBS implantation participated in this study. The average age was 57.5±8.8 years with an average implantation period of DBS of 5.9±5.0 years. The patient’s baseline UPDRS part III significantly improved after the surgery (39.3±10.4 vs 25.0±16.8; p=0.038). The axial symptoms (p=.003) and off duration (p=.008), and Mean Modified Hoehn and Yahr stage (p=.017) improved after DBS implantation and were statistically significant. However, BDI (20.3±11.5 vs 17.1±7.7) and PDQ-39 scores (60.3±24.2 vs 56.9±22.7) before and after surgery were not significantly different (0.45<P<0.70). The reasons for subjective dissatisfaction included “stress due to external changes seen by others,” “pain at the implantation site,” “reduction in DBS implantation effect,” “economic burden of battery replacement surgery,” and “anxiety when DBS goes off.”

Conclusion: Despite the improvement in motor symptoms in female patients with PD who underwent DBS surgery, the patient’s self-reported QoL and depression did not differ significantly before and after surgery. Medical service providers should assist patients, try to understand their discomfort and concerns, and handle them accordingly from a therapeutic point of view.

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