Deep brain stimulation for treatment refractory obsessive-compulsive disorder--a case report.

In the past 30 years it has been a great development in the unders-anding and therapy of obsessive-compulsive disorder. Adequate pharmaco- and cognitive-behavior therapies reduce the symptoms in 40-60% of patients, so a remarkable portion of patients still remains refractory to conventional treatment. Neurosurgery--with it's reversible and irreversible techniques--brought a breakthrough in the therapy of treatment refractory patients. In the present case, we represent a 3 months follow-up of an obsessive-compulsive pctient treated by deep brain stimulation. In our case, the stimulation target was the anterior limb of internal capsule. The clinical symptoms were measured by Y-BOCS. In addition various neuropsychological tests were used to monitor patient's executive functions before and 3 months after the deep brain stimulation. We found that obsessive-compu sive symptoms improved after three months of the stimulation. The neuropsychological tests showed improvement in some executive functions (e.g. fluency, set-shifting, decision making). On the other hand our results revealed severe neurocognitive--mainly attention skill--deficits in a treatment refractory obsessive-compulsive patient.

CT-guided unilateral thalamotomy with macroelectrode mapping for the treatment of Parkinson's disease.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of unilateral thalamotomy in patients with Parkinson's disease. METHODS: The junction of the ventralis oralis posterior and ventralis intermedius nuclei targeted under CT-guidance, and confirmed by impedance recording and macrostimulation. RESULTS: At the 6-month assessment the tremor has been completely abolished in 37 patients (82.2%), and reduced in 6 patients (13.3%). The Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale tremor score decreased by 92.5%, rigidity improved by 65.9%. Axial symptoms and bradykinesia showed smaller improvement. The levodopa and anti-cholinergic medication significantly reduced. An improvement in the quality of life measured by the Parkinson's Disease Questionnaire (PDQ-39) has been observed. The dimensions of mobility, activities of daily living, emotional well being, and stigma were significantly (P<0.05) better, other changes were not significant. The single index improved from 47.8+/-7.8 to 28.9+/-6.3. Transient complications noted in 9 patients (20%), mild persistent morbidity observed in 3 patients (6.7%). At the 1, 2 and 3-year follow-up neither contralateral tremor, rigidity, nor bradykinesia progression was statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS: CT-guided thalamotomy with macro-electrode mapping provides a safe, effective and long lasting control of tremor and rigidity, reduces the need for medication, and improves the quality of life.

[CT- and MRI-guided conformal interstitial and external beam radiotherapy of primary brain tumors: prospects in Hungary]. / Elsódleges agydaganatok CT-alapú 3D konformális sugárkezelése: külsó és szövetközi besugárzási lehetóségek hazánkban.

The technical improvements gained over the last decade in neuroradiology and radiotherapy have brought significant theoretical and experimental changes in the treatment of primary glial brain tumours. The follow-up of patients with CT, MRI and isotope diagnostic examinations proves that the relapses take place in the vicinity of the primary site in most cases. Consequently, the conventional large fields or whole brain irradiation techniques have been phased out and the conformal irradiation methods focused on the tumorous targets have gained ground. The exact neuroanatomic projection, the image based 3-dimensional treatment planning methods and the conformal irradiation techniques ensure that only the tumorous or the potentially infiltrated regions become irradiated with maximal protection of the normal brain tissues. The increased protection of the normal tissues makes a dose escalation possible, which may result in the augmentation of the therapeutic benefits. In Hungary both the interstitial and the external beam conformal radiotherapies of the CNS have become accessible in practice over the recent years. In possession of manifold treatment modalities (percutaneous fractionated conformal radiotherapy, stereotactic radiosurgery, high dose rate after-loading and low dose rate interstitial irradiation), it is found necessary to overview the indicative territories, advantages, limitations and possible complications of different interventions. The authors describe the possible routes of further improvements and ways of dose escalation. Nevertheless, it is emphasised that gliomas--with reduced radiosensitivity and high potential to infiltrate the adjacent brain tissues-represent the illness in the whole CNS. It implies that in the future it will probably be necessary to initiate systemic therapeutic modalities in the course of routine treatment strategies in addition to the focused and more effective radiotherapy regimens.

The application of image fusion in stereotactic brachytherapy of brain tumours.

BACKGROUND: The visualization of any morphological volume (i.e. CT, MRI) together with an additional second morphological volume (i.e. CT, MRI) or functional data set, which may come from SPECT or PET, is a new method for treatment planning, verification and follow-up of interstitial irradiation. METHOD: The authors present their experience on interstitial irradiation of brain tumours with stereotactically implanted I-125 seeds supported by image fusion. The image fusion was performed by the BrainLab-Target 1.13 software on Alfa 430 (Digital) workstation before, during, and after interstitial irradiation of brain tumours with Iodine125 seeds. RESULTS AND INTERPRETATION: On the basis of 20 brachytherapeutic image fusion of stereotactic CT (slices with fiducials) with additional stereotactic CT, MRI, PET and SPECT images provides more accurate and precise target volume, more exact localization of catheters and isotope seeds (verification fusion), differentiation between the localization and amount of the necrotic and proliferating parts of the tumours and shows the volume changes in consequence of interstitial irradiation. The image fusion should help to improve the accuracy and minimize the perifocal morbidity of interstitial irradiation.