Trial Reported in The Lancet Uses PDQ as the Primary Endpoint Measure

21 July 2011

A multi-centre trial (PD SURG) aimed at assessing the benefits of surgical interventions in Parkinson’s Disease (PD) has published its results using Isis Outcomes’ Parkinson’s Disease Questionnaire (the PDQ-39) as its primary endpoint measure.

The PD SURG study is an ongoing randomised, open-label trial into the assessment of surgical intervention and the control of symptoms in advanced PD. The study compares outcomes in patients with advanced PD undergoing Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) plus best medical therapy versus medical therapy alone. Findings from the study report improvement in patient self-reported quality of life (using the PDQ) in those undergoing surgery and best medical therapy over those undergoing best medical therapy alone.

The primary endpoint measure used for this study, published in The Lancet, is the patient self-reported quality of life measure, the Parkinson’s Disease Questionnaire (PDQ-39) exclusively available from and supported by Isis Outcomes. The PDQ was used to measure overall quality of life (PDQ summary Index score) as well as measuring the 8 discrete domains of the PDQ; mobility, activities of daily living, emotional well-being, stigma, social support, cognitions, communication and bodily discomfort. Significant improvements in quality of life one year after therapy are reported using the PDQ summary index measure. Domains exhibiting significant improvements in mean scores between the patient therapy groups were mobility, activities of daily living, and bodily discomfort.

The findings reported are to be found in full detail in the following publication in the Lancet:

Williams A., Gill S., Varma T., Jenkinson C., Quinn N., Mitchell R., Scott R., Ives N., Rick C., Daniels J., Patel S. and Wheatley K. on behalf of the PD SURG Collaborative Group:
Deep brain stimulation plus best medical therapy versus best medical therapy alone for advanced Parkinson’s disease (PD SURG trial): a randomised, open-label trial.
Lancet Neurol 2010; 9: 581–91

The PD SURG trial is a collaborative study by Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Birmingham; Frenchay Hospital Bristol, Walton Centre for Neurology and Neurosurgery, Liverpool; University of Oxford; UCL Institute of Neurology, London; Russell Cairns Unit, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford; and the University of Birmingham.