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Functional Neurosurgery |
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| This mostly refers to surgery for movement disorders. There are many different types of operations for movement disorders which would be impossible to cover in this small section. We have listed the more common operations below: | ||
Thalamotomy |
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This is when a small part of the thalamus is coagulated in order to relieve tremor. It may also help the rigidity of Parkinson's disease (PD). The 2 most common conditions in which this is recommended are PD and essential tremor. The thalamus is a part of the brain situated deep within the hemispheres that helps to coordinate movement. Side effects of the operation include odd sensations in the face or hand, speech and swallowing difficulties, memory problems and even paralysis (rare). |
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This is when a small part of the globus pallidus is coagulated to relieve many of the symptoms of PD. Only 10% of all PD sufferers will benefit from this procedure. The symptoms most improved with pallidotomy are dystonia, dyskinesia, tremor and rigidity. If patients have mostly gait disturbance, slowness of movement or episodes of freezing they should not have this procedure. Other poor predictors are dementia, bilateral signs, age greater than 80 and an abnormal MRI. Dr Teo's use of this surgical technique has been featured in the Good Medicine television series on Australia's Channel 9. Click here to see a summary of the programme. This particular boy had a focal brainstem glioma that had caused symptoms for many years. |
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| This is a procedure where electrodes are placed into the deep parts of the brain such as the thalamus, sub-thalamic nucleus and the globus pallidus and then connected to a stimulator. The stimulator, when turned on, gives the brain a little "shock", rendering that part nonfunctional. It works like a coagulated lesion except that it isn't permanent and that the degree and frequency of stimulation can be changed in order to get the best result. DBS is used mostly in PD patients but also in people with essential tremor and dystonia. | top page | |
| Last updated on Thursday 13th October, 2005. |