Ablative therapy for movement disorders: Complications in the treatment of movement disorders

Presently, there is a renaissance in the surgical treatment of movement disorders. Prompted by the growing recognition of the limitations of drug therapy, this resurgence has been further promoted by progress in neuronal transplantation, advances in neuroimaging and stereotactic surgical techniques, and innovative therapies, such as deep brain stimulation for abnormal movements. Mortality associated with thalamotomy and pallidotomy is rare, but morbidity is not inconsiderable, particularly in the elderly and those with preexisting brain damage. Judicious patient selection and physiologic confirmation of stereotactic targets are cornerstones to complication avoidance.