What is Palidotomy?
Pallidotomy is a surgical procedure in which part of the Globus Pallidus, an area of the brain located in the basal ganglia, so it cannot work. As the "-otomy" suffix suggests, palidotomy is carried out by cutting into the brain with a specialized probe to access the area of interest. This procedure can be very risky and is only done, if the best available to the patient. Palidotomy is performed in patients with Parkinson's disease. This disease is characterized by tremor and uncontrolled movement. In the early stages, shaking may be controlled by drugs that suppress cells in Globus Pallidus, which reduces fraying. When these drugs stop functioning, it may be necessary to damage some of the cells to prevent them from being fired.
During paliotomy, the patient is awake. The patient is kept up because it is important for the surgical team to get feedback from the patient when the probe is located. A detailed brain scan is carried out before surgery so that the surgeonHe knew where to go, and the patient's head is placed in a frame that keeps it completely calm. When the probe is inserted, the team gets feedback from the patient to confirm that the probe is in the right place, and as soon as it is placed, a paliotomy can be performed.
If movement problems are limited to one side of the body, a one -sided palpidotomy will be performed to address only the side that is involved. If the whole body is connected, bilateral palpidotomy will be performed. Both require the location of holes for shocks in the skull to access this area of the brain. The hospital recovery takes several days after the procedure and the patient needs a few recovery at home.
One potentially serious complication of this procedure is a stroke caused by bleeding in the brain, which may lead to further complications in the future. The surgeon also risk the risk of damage to other areas of the brain. Because of these risks, deep stimulation of the brain is a popular alternative to palidotomy because it is much less dangerous. After the surgery bude neurologist with the patient to confirm that the procedure was successful and identified any signs of worrying complications.