RESUMO
Background Cingulotomy is alternative lesion treatment to anterior capsulotomy for severe obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) which is proved to be beneficial to alleviate the recurrent obsessive thoughts and uncontrollable, compulsive reactions. To investigate the long term efficacy and adverse cognitive effects of stereotactic bilateral anterior cingulotomy as a treatment for refractory obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) patients,seventeen patients suffering from refractory OCD underwent stereotactic bilateral anterior cingulotomies and were followed for 24 months.Methods The Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale (YBOCS), the Clinical Global Impression (CGI), and other neuropsychological tests were used to assess the efficacy and cognitive changes of cingulotomy.Tests were taken before surgery and 12 and 24 months after surgery.Results The mean improvement rate of the YBOCS score achieved from the baseline was 48%. Eight patients out of 17 met responder criteria. During the 24-month follow-up, there were no significant adverse effects observed after surgery.Conclusions Bilateral anterior cingulotomy for the treatment of refractory OCD was effective, and no other significant adverse cognitive effects on long-term follow-up were found.