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To listmembers I am new to the Parkinsn list. I am a neurosurgeon, Professor and Chairman of the Department of Neurosurgery at New York University Medical Center. Before that I was Professor of Neurosurgery at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. I understand that there has been considerable interest in the surgical treatment of Parkinsonism lately and on this list. Perhaps, I can be of service to the list members by providing some objective information which some members may find useful. I have done stereotactic surgery for movement disorders in general and for Parkinson's disease in particular since 1974. I refined the procedures from the experiences of Professors Guiot in Paris (Suresnes)and Gillingham in Edinburgh who had a collective experience of over 3000 cases. Specifically, I have done many stereotactic thalamotomies for tremor. During the past year I have been doing pallidotomies for rigidity, bradykinesia and drug induced dyskinesiae. Both of these are good operations provided that the cases are well selected and the surgery performed carefully and with precision. Each procedure has specific indications, benefits and limitations. Neither will "cure" Parkinson's disease but improve the quality of life substantially in well selected cases. Both procedures are done under local anesthesia with some sedation in order to evaluate the effects of lesioning and to alert the surgeon as to any adverse effects. Both should be done with microelectrode recording so that the lesion can be placed precisely to maximize the therapeutic effect and minimize the risk. Both procedures involve protocols for pre and postoperative testing. Patrick J. Kelly, MD Joseph P. Ransohoff Professor and Chairman Department of Neurological Surgery NYU Medical Center 530 First Ave. New York, NY 10016 FAX: 212-263-8031 email:[log in to unmask] \--------------------------------------------------------------\ \ Patrick Kelly, MD \ Internet: [log in to unmask] \ \ NYU Medical Center \ Phone: (212)-263-8002 \ \ New York, N Y \ \ \ \ \ \--------------------------------------------------------------\