[Correspondence] Staged bilateral focused ultrasound pallidothalamic tractotomy for Parkinson's disease

Aggregator

17 Oct 2026 0 comments

Arif Dalvi and colleagues have reignited one of the oldest debates in functional neurosurgery by applying one of its newest technologies. Their study demonstrates that unilateral magnetic resonance-guided focused ultrasound (MRgFUS) pallidothalamic tractotomy can provide meaningful and durable improvement in Parkinson's disease motor symptoms, whereas staged bilateral lesioning had comparatively modest additional benefit at the cost of substantially higher rates of persistent impairment affecting speech, gait, and balance.