The Neurology of the Polyclinic is on the front line for the treatment of Parkinson's. The first implant for the subcutaneous infusion of a new pharmaceutical preparation containing foslevodopa-phoscarbidopa has been positioned: this is a recently introduced therapy for the treatment of advanced disease, which allows the infusion of levodopa (gold standard of therapy for the pathology) continuously over 24 hours, through the use of a portable infuser.
The first implant, at Duilio Casula, was carried out in a 74-year-old patient who has been suffering from Parkinson's for 16 years. The positioning of the infusion system made it possible to obtain good control of the symptoms from the first days of treatment.
It is, explains Dr. Marcello Mascia, neurologist at the Duilio Casula Polyclinic, «an innovative therapy on a global level for the treatment of advanced Parkinson's disease. This procedure was authorized in Italy in February this year and is currently only available in some regions." Clinical studies, concludes the neurologist, "have demonstrated the effectiveness of the treatment in controlling the motor complications of the disease such as: motor fluctuations, involuntary and uncontrolled movements (dyskinesias) and sleep disorders, with consequent improvement in the quality of life".
The treatment is reserved for patients in whom combinations of "traditional" drugs do not guarantee adequate clinical compensation.
(Unioneonline)
