The surgical treatment of Parkinson's disease

Kenneth A. Follett

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

28 Scopus citations

Abstract

Surgical treatment of Parkinson' s disease (PD) can provide gratifying symptomatic improvements for many individuals who suffer from persistent disabling symptoms despite the best available medical management. Current surgical therapies include ablative techniques (thalamotomy and pallidotomy), augmentative techniques (nondestructive) (deep brain stimulation), and restorative techniques (tissue transplantation and gene therapy). Ablative procedures can provide substantial clinical benefit, but the current trend is toward deep brain stimulation, which can provide similar symptomatic improvement in a nondestructive manner. Restorative techniques, such as tissue transplantation and gene therapy, are exciting but have significant obstacles to overcome before their promise can be realized. Until the underlying pathological defect of PD can be identified and treated, surgical intervention is likely to remain important in the symptomatic treatment of this disabling disease.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)135-147
Number of pages13
JournalAnnual Review of Medicine
Volume51
DOIs
StatePublished - 2000
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Deep brains stimulation
  • Movement disorder
  • Pallidotomy
  • Thalamotomy

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology

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