• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.456-462
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• 2001

Objective : Although cingulotomy has been applied to patients with affective disorders more frequently, there are numerous reports of its use for the control of severe pain. The goal of this study was to investigate the role of stereotactic bilateral anterior cingulotomy for intractable cancer pain. Method : Between January and June, 2000, we underwent stereotactic bilateral anterior cingulotomy in 6 patients for intractable cancer pain with poor response to opioids. The patients were suffering from widespread musculoskeletal or visceral pain. We made four lesions along the two tracks on either side of the cingulate cortex. Result : In all patients, pain reliefs after cingulotomy were dramatic and immediate. Five out of six patients did not require any opioids and one patient could reduce dose of opioids. There were no deaths or serious complications related to the procedure. Conclusion : These results suggested that a bilateral anterior cingulotomy might be useful method to control intractable cancer pain associated with the widespread metastatic disease. To provide rationale of bilateral anterior cingulotomy in intractable cancer pain, the theoretical mechanisms and role of bilateral anterior cingulotomy are discussed, along with our surgical techniques and the course of our patients.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.61 no.4
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• pp.427-433
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• 2018

Obsessive compulsive disorder is a debilitating condition characterized by recurrent obsessive thoughts and compulsive reactions. A great portion of the obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) patients are managed successfully with psychiatric treatment such as selective serotonin-reuptake inhibitor and cognitive behavioral psychotherapy, but more than 10% of patients are remained as non-responder who needs neurosurgical treatments. These patients are potential candidates for the neurosurgical management. There had been various kind of operation, lesioning such as leucotomy or cingulotomy or capsulotomy or limbic leucotomy, and with advent of stereotaxic approach and technical advances, deep brain stimulation was more chosen by neurosurgeon due to its characteristic of reversibility and adjustability. Gamma knife radiosurgery are also applied to make lesion targeting based on magnetic resonance (MR) imaging, but the complication of adverse radiation effect is not predictable. In the neurosurgical field, MR guided focused ultrasound has advantage of less invasiveness, real-time monitored procedure which is now growing to attempt to apply for various brain disorder. In this review, the neurosurgical treatment modalities for the treatment of OCD will be briefly reviewed and the current state of MR guided focused ultrasound for OCD will be suggested.