Common Problems We Treat

Parkinson’s disease
Essential tremor
Dystonia

Surgical Procedures for Parkinson’s Disease

pallidotomy
thalamotomy
deep brain stimulation (DBS)

Parkinson’s disease is usually treated effectively with medications. These drugs relieve symptoms by restoring the brain’s neurochemical balance. However, these medications can have significant side effects and may lose effectiveness over time. In these instances, some patients may benefit from surgery. These procedures help relieve symptoms by either stimulating or destroying targeted deep brain cells that involve motion control. With pallidotomy, a wire probe is inserted into the globus pallidus (in the corpus striatum) of the brain. Radio waves are then transmitted to heat the highly targeted area and destroy it. Thalamotomy uses the same energy to destroy a small area in the thalamus.Deep brain stimulation involves implantation of small electrodes in the brain which are connected to a pacemaker-like device implanted beneath the skin. This device sends electrical stimulation to the electrodes which control messages in the brain.