Posts Tagged ‘Surgery for Dystonia’
Surgery for Dystonia
Surgery is reserved for severe cases that do not respond to medication. The surgical techniques used are intended to destroy these abnormal brain circuits that are keeping unwanted muscle spasms.
Pallidotomy is the heat-injury of the globus pallidus. The operation is performed under local anesthesia and the patient’s head placed in a device called a stereotactic frame to pinpoint the globus pallidus. When performed by a team of experts, the operation is safe and usually have few side effects. Most patients experience a marked improvement after the operation.
Instead of destroying the globus pallidus, you can stimulate through a deep brain stimulator, which is also a safe technique with minimal adverse effects. Can improve up to 65% of patients.
Other operations such as thalamotomy, which destroy parts of the thalamus, have been used in advanced generalized dystonias. Read the rest of this entry »