title: Bilateral stereotactic anterior capsulotomy for obsessive-compulsive disorder: long-term follow-up.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Psychosurgery, such as anterior capsulotomy, is a therapeutic option for treatment-resistant obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). In this paper, we present a prospective, long-term follow-up study aimed at evaluating both the efficacy and the safety of anterior capsulotomy for the treatment of severe, refractory OCD.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty-four patients were surgically treated in our centre between 1997 and 2009, 19 of whom were included in this study. Patients were assessed at 3, 6, 12, and 24 months and last follow-up (mean of 7 years) was carried out by phone. OCD symptom severity was evaluated using the Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS). A patient with an improvement rate of over 35% in the Y-BOCS score was considered a responder, while a patient with a 25% improvement was considered a partial responder.
  
  
  RESULTS
  With a mean improvement of 31% in the Y-BOCS score at long-term follow-up, 36.8% of the patients responded fully to the procedure and 10.5% were considered partial responders, for an overall response rate of 47.3% of patients. At the end of the study, 3/19 patients had recovered (Y-BOCS score <8) and 3/19 were in remission (Y-BOCS score <16). No cases of mortality were reported and the overall adverse event rate was 57.9%. Only 2 patients had permanent surgical complications.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Anterior capsulotomy is an effective and safe technique for the treatment of severe refractory OCD in patients who have no other alternative to improve their symptoms.
authors.affiliation: Centre de recherche du CHU de Québec, Department of Neurological Sciences, Université Laval, , Quebec City, Canada.
authors.forename: Myreille
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: D'Astous
authors.forename: Sylvine
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Cottin
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Roy
authors.forename: Claude
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Picard
authors.forename: Léo
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Cantin
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D004292:Dominance, Cerebral / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D020772:Internal Capsule / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000601:surgery*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009771:Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000601:surgery*; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000175:diagnosis; D011612:Psychosurgery / Q000379:methods*; D012086:Reoperation; D013238:Stereotaxic Techniques; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: NEUROPSYCHIATRY; NEUROSURGERY