Neuropsychological outcome following unilateral stereotactic pallidotomy in intractable Parkinson's disease.
Neuropsychological functioning was examined at baseline and 2- to 3-month follow-up in 40 subjects with advanced Parkinson's disease (PD) who underwent unilateral posteroventral pallidotomy. Most subjects demonstrated improved verbal learning, visual memory, confrontation naming, and figural fluency at follow-up. Right pallidotomy was associated with decreased cognitive flexibility and increased verbal fluency, whereas Left pallidotomy uniquely resulted in a decline in verbal fluency. Significant motor improvement was demonstrated in both groups. Pallidotomy appears to be an effective treatment for advanced PD, providing a significant improvement in motor functioning, while resulting in few deleterious neurocognitive changes in most cases.
Lacritz
L H
LH
University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, 75235-8898, USA. llacri@mednet.swmednet.swmed.edu
Cullum
C M
CM
Frol
A B
AB
Dewey
R B
RB
Giller
C A
CA
D000368:Aged; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005917:Globus Pallidus / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D019635:Neurosurgical Procedures / Q000379:methods; D010300:Parkinson Disease / Q000523:psychology / Q000601:surgery*; D011183:Postoperative Complications; D012720:Severity of Illness Index