On the flip side...especially for you, Don Berns. :)
Cognitive functioning after pallidotomy for refractory Parkinson's
disease.
Perrine K, Dogali M, Fazzini E, Sterio D, Kolodny E, Eidelberg D,
Devinsky O, Beric A
Department of Neurology, NYU School of Medicine and Hospital for
Joint Diseases
BACKGROUND: Earlier approaches to pallidotomy for refractory
Parkinson’s disease had significant complication rates. More recent
approaches show fewer complications, but the effect of pallidotomy on
cognition is unclear. The current study was conducted to
examine the neuropsychological effects of unilateral pallidotomy.
METHODS: Neuropsychological testing was performed on patients with
medically refractory, predominantly unilateral Parkinson’s disease at
baseline and after unilateral ventral pallidotomy or after an equivalent
period without surgery in control patients.
RESULTS:Pallidotomy patients showed no significant changes from
baseline to retesting relative to the control group for any measure.
Across all of the tests administered, only five of the surgery patients
showed a significant decline, and of these five none declined
on more than one test. Depression did not relate to preoperative or
postoperative cognition. The pallidotomy group showed a significant
improvement in motor functioning and activities of daily living whereas
the control group did not. These measures were not associated with the
neuropsychological test scores at baseline or retest.
CONCLUSIONS:Stereotactic unilateral ventral pallidotomy does not seem
to produce dramatic cognitive declines in most patients.
J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 1998 August;65(2):150-154
PMID: 9703163, UI: 98366723
--
Judith Richards, London, Ontario, Canada
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^^^
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