ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the intervention as such, exemplified by its most common indication, Parkinson's disease (PD). It outlines the challenges of patients who may be candidates for deep brain stimulation (DBS) in weighing the risks and benefits of the intervention. The chapter provides information on experiences with expanding indications thus far. It also discusses the ethical issues related to DBS. DBS intervenes into a neuronal network in the brain by chronic electrical stimulation: one or two quadripolar electrodes are stereotactically implanted into specific targets deep in the brain. Eligible patients are those who are diagnosed with idiopathic PD and whose symptoms previously responded well to L-dopa or apomorphine, who is in good general and cognitive health, and whose medication-based therapies are no longer successful. As DBS involves surgical intervention into the brain, it usually becomes an option for a patient when medication or other therapeutic approaches are no longer sufficient to control the symptoms or have unbearable side effects.
