The scientific committee of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons (CNS) has chosen a study by the Research Institute of the Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau – IIB Sant Pau as the best manuscript of the year 2022 in the area of Neurofunctional and Stereotaxic Surgery. This is a study published in the journal Neurosurgery, whose main authors are Juan Ángel Aibar-Durán, from the Neurosurgery Service, and Francisco Javier de Diego, from the Psychiatry Service of this hospital.
This scientific meeting was held from October 7 to 11 in the city of San Francisco, United States, and is one of the obligatory dates of the specialty that brings together the most outstanding specialists from countries around the world to address scientific news in the field of neurosurgery.
The work, directed by Joan Molet, analyzes the long-term results of deep brain stimulation for the treatment of patients with major depression that did not respond to conventional treatments. In addition, it provides new clues about the mechanisms of action of this type of surgery.
As explained by Dr. Aibar-Durán, at 5 years of follow-up, of the patients with refractory depression included in this study, 80% showed improvement, so it could be concluded that this surgery is clearly effective in some patients.
Currently, deep brain stimulation is approved in some countries for the treatment of some disorders such as dystonia, tremors or Parkinson’s disease.
Sant Pau is the leading center in Spain and one of the main references in the world in this type of surgery and is the only public center in which neuromodulation is offered as an alternative in some selected patients with refractory severe depression. It is currently being tested in other indications as well, such as the treatment of schizophrenia.
Reference article
Aibar-Durán, Juan Ángel MD*; Rodríguez Rodríguez, Rodrigo MD*; de Diego Adeliño, Francisco Javier MD, PhD‡; Portella, María J. MD, PhD‡; Álvarez-Holzapfel, María Jesús MD*; Martín Blanco, Ana MD‡; Puigdemont Campos, Dolors MD‡; Molet Teixidó, Joan MD, PhD*. Long-Term Results of Deep Brain Stimulation for Treatment-Resistant Depression: Outcome Analysis and Correlation With Lead Position and Electrical Parameters. Neurosurgery: January 2022 – Volume 90 – Issue 1 – p 72-80 doi: 10.1227/NEU.0000000000001739
