Parkinson's disease (PD) is a common neurological disorder. Recently, bilateral deep brain stimulation (DBS) of the subthalamic nucleus (STN) has become an option in the treatment of severe PD. We measured the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of 27 parkinsonian patients, who underwent a bilateral STN-operation. The instruments used for the evaluation of the HRQoL were the Parkinson's Disease Questionnaire (PDQ-39) and the Finnish version of the Nottingham Health Profile (NHP). We found that the quality of life significantly improved when measured with both HRQoL scales. Clinical improvement and improvement in HRQoL were positively correlated.
