Cutting down the strength of the current may reverse all of the symptoms. This procedure costs between 10,000 and 15,000 dollars. Pallidotomy is a neurosurgical procedure that claims to permanently eliminate dyskinesia and rigidity. It also helps reduce tremor, bradykinesia, masked face, stooped posture, shuffling gait, and dystonia. The process includes making a small pearl-sized lesion located in the globus pallidus internus.
Results are immediate and occur during the treatment while in the operating room.
Following the procedure, response to medications seems to become smooth and reliable. This method of treatment does not seem to benefit those persons who suffer from atypical Parkinson's Disease. The theory behind this procedure is to take the Dopamine producing tissue from 6 to 10 week old fetus' and implanting it into the Striatum establishing connections with the Dopamine receiving brain cells which are there and need Dopamine in patients suffering with Parkinson's Disease. Aside from the obvious ethical issues, the fact that it can take anywhere from two months to two years for the patient to show signs of improvement makes this method of treatment less popular than others. Medical insurance companies do not yet cover this treatment.