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Dear Carol,

Increasing the dose of levodopa (or entacapone in your case) is common after
a pallidotomy or pallidal stimulation.  This may cause a reappearance of
tremors, which can only be treated by reducing the dose in the case of the
pallidotomy or adjusting the stimulation in the case of pallidal
stimulation.

Your dose must have been increased due to other problems, probably gait
disturbance and freezing.  A patient with a pallidotomy does usually require
frequent medication adjustments, but can be quite good with the correct dose
regimen. However, sooner or later gait problems can not be treated anymore
or side effects are so bad due to the increase of medication, that bilateral
STN surgery is the only option.

Greetings,

Chris van der Linden, M.D.