If I receive a mail enquiry from someone I do not know, I give them a list of places where DBS is done. If someone I know asks, I tell them pros and cons and give a list mentioning where the largest numbers are from. I specifically mention the purely symptomatic nature of therapy, the requirement for intensive follow up and the problems of DBS/ dopaminergic dose reduction on cognition and behavior. However if it is a relative who asks, I would not recommend DBS if they have to sell land or leave their job and relocate. I tell them that optimal medical and physical therapy is still very much an option; that most available literature recommending DBS is of short duration (6 to 24 months) or inadequate numbers if longer duration, implying that the long term benefits are being extrapolated. (I don't mention conflict of interest due to involvement of the company manufacturing the device.)
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