Listen to the article
Parkinson's Disease: Surgery
Home | Parkinson's Disease: Treatment Overview | Parkinson's Disease: Surgery
Surgery was at one time the main treatment for Parkinson’s disease until levodopa was introduced in the late 1960s. Currently, surgery is generally reserved for people who have had Parkinson’s disease for some time and whose symptoms are no longer adequately controlled by drug treatment. They may also be experiencing severe side effects due to drug therapy.
Surgical techniques are used to correct the imbalance in the nerve cell messages sent by the brain. Techniques include using electrodes implanted within the brain to destroy or stimulate specific types of cells.
Among the currently available techniques there is
- Thalamotomy: based on a lesion made to the thalamus using chemicals, heat, or freezing. It requires 4 to 6 hours.
- Pallidotomy: based on a lesion made to the pallidum. It requires 2 to 3 hours.
- Chronic deep-brain stimulation: based on electrodes that are inserted into the brain. These electrodes continuously stimulate at a frequency of 100 Hz to 250 Hz.
