To make absolutely sure they have the right spot, they insert a fine probe, thin as a strand of hair. The probe can record spontaneous electrical discharges from brain cells and can deliver minute electrical shocks. Because patients are awake during the procedure, they can describe the effects of the shocks. This way we find the area in the brain that controls arm, leg or face movements, and we tailor the surgery to the particular area that's giving the patient the most problems. Once the location is pinpointed, the surgeon burns a tiny hole in the cells.
Results are almost immediate.
The surgery can decrease rigidity and tremor, improve mobility and reduce drug-related involuntary movements. Patients usually spend less than 24 hours in the hospital. With the mapping techniques, up to 95 percent of patients can expect significant relief from their symptoms, Uitti says. Adverse effects, which can include loss of vision, hemorrhage and infection, have occurred in less than 2 percent of patients. Mayo Clinic Jacksonville physicians have successfully used stereotactic pallidotomy to treat 39 Parkinson's patients since September 1995.