Contemporaneous bilateral postero-ventral pallidotomy for early onset “juvenile type” Parkinson's disease. Case report

Abstract
Early onset “juvenile type” Parkinson's disease is commonly associated with disabling bilateral levodopa-induced dyskinesias. We report here a successful contemporaneous bilateral postero-ventral pallidotomy performed on a 46-year-old male with juvenile type Parkinson's and associated levodopa incited symmetric dyskinesias. A comparison of various surgical alternatives is included. Preoperative and postoperative evaluation, operative method and postero-ventral pallidotomy's therapeutic mechanism are presented.