What are the different types of surgery for Parkinsons disease?
The first surgical procedures developed were the ablative, or brain lesioning, procedures. Examples of lesioning surgery include thalamotomy and pallidotomy. Lesioning surgery involves the precisely controlled destruction, using a heat probe, of a small region of brain tissue that is abnormally active. It produces a permanent effect on the brain. In general, it is not safe to perform lesioning on both sides of the brain. In our practice lesioning has been largely replaced by deep brain stimulation (DBS). DBS surgery involves placing a thin metal electrode (about the diameter of a piece of spaghetti) into one of several possible brain targets and attaching it to a computerized pulse generator, which is implanted under the skin in the chest (much like a heart pacemaker). All parts of the stimulator system are internal; there are no wires coming out through the skin. To achieve maximal relief of symptoms, the stimulation can be adjusted during a routine office visit by a physician or nurs
There are several different types of surgery for Parkinson’s disease. The first surgical procedures developed were the ablative, or brain lesioning, procedures. Examples of lesioning surgery include thalamotomy and pallidotomy. Lesioning surgery involves the precisely controlled destruction, using a heat probe, of a small region of brain tissue that is abnormally active. It produces a permanent effect on the brain. In general, it is not safe to perform lesioning on both sides of the brain. We continue to perform some lesioning surgeries for patients who desire it, although in our practice lesioning has been largely replaced by deep brain stimulation (DBS). DBS surgery involves placing a thin metal electrode (about the diameter of a piece of spaghetti) into one of several possible brain targets and attaching it to a computerized pulse generator, which is implanted under the skin in the chest (much like a heart pacemaker). All parts of the stimulator system are internal; there are no wir
