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Hi. My name is Harris Meyer. I'm a reporter for the American Medical News, a weekly newspaper that goes out to doctors. I'm writing in the next few days about the controversy over the surgery for Parkinson's patients called pallidotomy. I would love to get responses from patients and/or family members on the following topics: -- Is this operation being offered in your area? -- Have you undergone this operation, or are you considering it? -- How did you hear about the operation? -- What kind of results did you get from the operation, or what kind of results have you heard other patients are getting? --Are you or other patients having any trouble getting health insurers to pay for this operation? -- If it's being offered in your area, how experienced are the local neurosurgeons with it? How are they doing it -- through electrophysiological mapping, or through stereotactic guidance (via MRI or CT scans and grids)? Is it being done as part of a study? -- Are you comfortable that the operation has been well enough established scientifically and that it's safe and effective? Does the issue of scientific acceptance matter to you? Thanks in advance for taking the time to respond to this request. Harris Meyer American Medical News ([log in to unmask])