Also known as pallidectomy, this is a neurosurgical procedure in which the activities of the globus pallidus area of the BRAIN are destroyed or modi?ed. The operation is sometimes used to relieve the symptoms of PARKINSONISM and other neurological conditions in which involuntary movements are a signi?cant and disabling symptom.
(pallidectomy) n. a neurosurgical operation to destroy or modify the effects of the globus pallidus (see basal ganglia), formerly used for the relief of *parkinsonism and other conditions in which involuntary movements are prominent before the advent of modern drug therapies. The development of more accurate techniques to localize the globus pallidus has led to a revival in its use: in the modern form of pallidotomy, a lesion is made in the globus pallidus by stereotactic surgery (see stereotaxy). New techniques achieving better results involve the implantation of stimulators (pallidal stimulation).
(akinetic rigid syndrome) n. a clinical picture characterized by tremor, rigidity, slowness of movement, and postural instability. The commonest symptom is tremor, which often affects one hand, spreading first to the leg on the same side and then to the other limbs. It is most pronounced in resting limbs, interfering with such actions as holding a cup. The patient has an expressionless face, an unmodulated voice, an increasing tendency to stoop, and a shuffling walk. Parkinsonism is a disease process affecting the basal ganglia of the brain and associated with a deficiency of the neurotransmitter *dopamine. Sometimes a distinction is made between Parkinson’s disease, a degenerative disorder, and parkinsonism due to other causes. For example, it may be induced by the long-term use of *antipsychotic drugs and uncommonly it can be attributed to the late effects of *encephalitis or coal-gas poisoning, or to *Wilson’s disease, or to multiple strokes (vascular parkinsonism). Other syndromes of which parkinsonism is a feature are *multiple system atrophy and *progressive supranuclear palsy. Relief of the symptoms may be obtained with *antimuscarinic drugs, dopamine-receptor agonists (see dopamine), *levodopa, and subcutaneous *apomorphine injections and infusions. New surgical treatments include stereotactic *pallidotomy and pallidal stimulation. The latter procedure involves placing an electronic stimulator in the globus pallidus that can be controlled by an external switch or control panel. [J. Parkinson (1755–1824), British physician]... parkinsonism
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