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Parkinson's patients satisfied with surgery NEW YORK, Feb 04, 2000 (Reuters Health) -- Brain surgery to treat the movement disorder Parkinson's disease is more effective when performed on both sides of the brain, according to new study findings. But most patients were satisfied after surgery, even if they had the procedure on just one side of the brain, researchers report. Symptoms of Parkinson's disease -- a disorder of the nervous system that progresses slowly -- include tremor, muscle rigidity and sluggish movements. While treatment with drugs can relieve these symptoms, surgery called pallidotomy is an option for patients with more advanced disease. During this procedure, surgeons destroy a small portion of a structure called the globus pallidus deep within the brain. This can reduce symptoms by interrupting electrical signals in the brain. After a period when pallidotomy fell out of favor with neurosurgeons, there is a renewed interest in the procedure, according to a team of researchers led by Dr. Jacques Favre, of the Ospedale Civico in Lugano, Switzerland. The benefits and risks of pallidotomy remain uncertain, however, the authors note in the February issue of the journal Neurosurgery. The current study included 22 people who had pallidotomy on one side of the brain and 17 who had the procedure on both sides of the brain at once. An average of 7 months after surgery, people who had pallidotomy on both sides of the brain experienced significant improvement in several symptoms, including slowness of movement, rigidity, tremor and involuntary movements, the investigators report. In contrast, just involuntary movements improved substantially in people who had the procedure on only one side of the brain. The researchers also note that people who had the double surgery were more likely to have worsened speech problems than those who had surgery on one side of the brain. Even though there were clear differences in the benefits of the two types of surgery, most patients, regardless of the type of surgery performed, were satisfied with the results, according to the report. Seventy-six percent of patients who had bilateral pallidotomy and 64% of those treated with unilateral pallidotomy rated the results as excellent or good. "This study confirms that, from a patient standpoint, unilateral and simultaneous bilateral pallidotomy can reduce all of the key symptoms of Parkinson's disease,'' Favre and colleagues write. But since both groups reported having vision problems after surgery, future studies should examine the effects of pallidotomy on sight, according to the research team. SOURCE: Neurosurgery 2000;46:344-355. Copyright © 2000 Reuters Limited. -- Judith Richards, London, Ontario, Canada [log in to unmask]