Stereotactic and functional neurosurgery
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Stereotact Funct Neurosurg · Jan 2012
Case ReportsFour-decade maintenance of analgesia with percutaneous cordotomy.
The management of severe, medically intractable pain is a significant challenge for neurosurgeons and pain management physicians. An existing technique that can effectively alleviate contralateral chronic pain is cordotomy, interruption of the lateral spinothalamic tract of the spinal cord. ⋯ Here we describe a case with a 41-year follow-up of percutaneous cordotomy for noncancer pain that resulted in over 35 years of complete analgesia, the longest recorded in the literature to date. This case demonstrates that percutaneous cordotomy can provide long-lasting, complete analgesia in some patients and merits continuation as a part of the neurosurgical arsenal of pain therapies.
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Stereotact Funct Neurosurg · Jan 2012
ReviewDeep brain stimulation for Tourette syndrome: target selection.
Tourette syndrome (TS) is a complex neurological disorder manifested chiefly by motor and phonic tics and a variety of behavioral comorbidities, including attention disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder and impulse control problems. Surgical treatment is increasingly considered when tics become troublesome or even disabling or self-injurious despite optimal medical therapy. In this review, we describe the surgical techniques, stimulation parameters, outcomes of deep brain stimulation (DBS) in TS, and critically review target choices. ⋯ Determination of the optimal surgical target will require a multicenter, randomized trial, and an expanded understanding of the neurobiology of TS.
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Stereotact Funct Neurosurg · Jan 2012
Comparative StudyChanging practice patterns of deep brain stimulation in Parkinson's disease and essential tremor in the USA.
Randomized controlled studies have shown deep brain stimulation (DBS) to be an effective treatment for Parkinson's disease (PD). Outside of large-center studies, little is known about trends in DBS use in the USA. ⋯ Patients who underwent DBS in the 2007 sample were older and had more comorbidities than those in the 2000 sample; in-hospital complications remained low. Understanding trends in DBS is helpful in assessing how the technology is adopted and what relationships should be further explored.
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Stereotact Funct Neurosurg · Jan 2012
Rechargeable deep brain stimulators in the management of paediatric dystonia: well tolerated with a low complication rate.
Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is a recognised method of treatment for primary and secondary dystonia. The size of non-rechargeable batteries has limited their use in small children. Our severe dystonia patients have required battery replacement every 20-24 months. ⋯ Activa was found to offer reliable stimulation with a low rate of significant complications and a suitable treatment option for children with dystonia.