Abstract
In 10 parkinsonian patients with severe, chaotic clinical response fluctuations, oral levodopa treatment was replaced by continuous intravenous infusion of levodopa (with orally administered benserazide). Four patients were also given levodopa infusions in addition to their usual oral treatment. All patients remained continuously mobile and ambulant during the infusions. Side effects were minimal, except in two patients with diphasic dyskinesias whose abnormal movements were consistently suppressed by a further increase in the rate of levodopa administration, only to return after an interval. If a soluble nonacidic dopamine replacement drug can be developed for continuous subcutaneous infusion, “brittle” parkinsonians may be chronically controlled by portable, minipump technology.
- © 1984 by the American Academy of Neurology
Disputes & Debates: Rapid online correspondence
REQUIREMENTS
If you are uploading a letter concerning an article:
You must have updated your disclosures within six months: http://submit.neurology.org
Your co-authors must send a completed Publishing Agreement Form to Neurology Staff (not necessary for the lead/corresponding author as the form below will suffice) before you upload your comment.
If you are responding to a comment that was written about an article you originally authored:
You (and co-authors) do not need to fill out forms or check disclosures as author forms are still valid
and apply to letter.
Submission specifications:
- Submissions must be < 200 words with < 5 references. Reference 1 must be the article on which you are commenting.
- Submissions should not have more than 5 authors. (Exception: original author replies can include all original authors of the article)
- Submit only on articles published within 6 months of issue date.
- Do not be redundant. Read any comments already posted on the article prior to submission.
- Submitted comments are subject to editing and editor review prior to posting.