Sonia Lukich
Thank you for taking the time to post the information obtained from Dr.
Jacques and Dr. Lieberman regarding Pallidotomy and Fetal Cell Transplant.
In the interest of information on the Pallidotomy of which I am a great
advocate I would like to offer an other opinion you wrote
>Pallidotomy is a procedure usually recommended for older patients with PD
because of >the finite life/effectiveness of the procedure. A Pallidotomy lasts,
on the average, five to >six years and is very effective for that time period.
The unfortunate part is that one will >eventually return to the physical
condition they were in when they had the procedure >done.
First Pallidotomies are usually most effective for Young Onset patients.
Younger patients respond better to the surgery. To say that a Pallidotomy lasts
on the average five to six years is simply not supported by the data available.
Most Pallidotomy patients are less than three years out from surgery and are
continuing to do quite well. So any statements about five or six years is
conjecture.
Perhaps the best documented studies of patients are those of Swedish
doctor Dr. Laitinen. His studies as reported in the Journal of Neurosurgery
76:53-61, 1992 concerning 38 patients who had posteroventral pallidotomies
between 1985 and 1990 showed upon examination 2 to 71 months after surgery (mean
28 months) complete or almost complete relief of rigidity and hypokinesia was
observed in 92% of the patients. OF the 32 patients who before surgery also
suffered from tremor, 26[ (81%) had complete or almost complete relief of
tremor.
Such data caused Dr. Laitinen & others to conclude *that Leksell s (Dr.
Leksell was one of the earliest pioneers in stereotactic surgery, of which
Pallidotomy is a kind) posteroventral Pallidotomy has very good long lasting
effect on all Parkinsonian symptoms: tremor, rigidity, and particularly
bradykinesia.*
Furthermore having a Pallidotomy should not preclude anyone from having a
further procedure should one prove to be more effective down the road.
Again Sonia, thank you for reporting this information. I am not taking
issue with you , but only with the information being dispersed by the
Neurosciences Institute at the Hospital of the Good Samaritan in L.A.
Don
Dr. Don Berns
4943 Del Monte Rd.
La Canada, CA 91011
818-790-8812
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