There are four basic approaches for the treatment of Parkinson's disease (PD). Ablative
surgery is the oldest and best understood. Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is relatively
new and is still being evaluated. Target nuclei for ablative surgery and DBS are the
motor thalamus, the globus pallidus, and the subthalamic nucleus. Neurotransplantation
as replacement therapy has recently undergone a proof of principle but still is not
fully accepted. The newest surgical approach is protective therapy where innovative
techniques are still being developed. Although this has the greatest promise for the
future, it also has the greatest number of technical hurdles to overcome before it
can become standard therapy. The present status of ablative and stimulation surgical
interventions for PD is reviewed and clinical results discussed.
Basal ganglia - stereotactic surgery - electrical stimulation therapy - globus pallidus
- thalamus - subthalamic nucleus - Parkinson's disease - movement disorders