When conventional non-invasive treatments for psychiatric diseases fail, clinicians inevitably have to consider brain surgery. However, brain surgery for psychiatric diseases has long been taboo among the general public due to the infamous history of lobotomy. Thankfully, advancements in brain surgery in recent years are changing the narrative.
Bilateral capsulotomy, more commonly known as deep brain stimulation, is a form of brain surgery that has been garnering attention in treating treatment-resistant or refractory obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Patients with refractory OCD experience a debilitating degree of repetitive behaviors and thoughts that they are unable to control, thus downgrading their quality of life.
A group of researchers from South Korea demonstrated that a novel non-invasive bilateral capsulotomy called magnetic resonance-guided focused ultrasound (MRgFUS) capsulotomy is efficacious and safe in treating refractory OCD for up to two years. MRgFUS capsulotomy non-invasively and precisely ablates tissues in the brain region of interest. However, the sustained efficacy of this treatment option was unclear.
Leave a reply