The costs and benefits of deep brain stimulation surgery for patients with dystonia: an initial exploration.

Objectives.  To perform a preliminary cost-utility and cost-benefit of deep brain stimulation (DBS) in the treatment of dystonia, Materials and Methods.  We conducted a prospective study of 26 patients undergoing DBS for the treatment of dystonia. We performed a cost-utility analysis using the Euroquol (EQ-5D) questionnaire. A cost-benefit analysis used the willingness-to-pay principle and costs of treatment were calculated retrospectively in order to calculate the cost-benefit. Results.  We found that the EQ-5D score improved from 29 to 76.2 points after surgery, an incremental utility of 0.47. There was an overall gain of 0.94 quality-adjusted life-years (QALY) with a cost of £33,980 per QALY. Conclusions.  DBS for dystonia, while an expensive treatment, compares favorably to therapies that are commonly used for other conditions.