Pallidotomy

A surgical operation performed on the globus pallidus to destroy it. The purpose of this operation is to relieve involuntary movements or muscular rigidity, as, for example, in Parkinson's disease. The globus pallidus is a pale-appearing spherical area in the brain. (Globus is a Latin word meaning a globe or sphere; pallidus refers to its pallor relative to the surrounding brain substance.) The globus pallidus is specifically part of what is called the lentiform nucleus which, in turn, is part of the striate body. The striate body is a component of the basal ganglia that can be seen as large masses of gray matter at the base of the cerebral hemispheres of the brain.

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A destructive operation on the globus pallidus, done to relieve involuntary movements or muscular rigidity. [pallidum + G. tome, incision]

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pal·li·dot·o·my .pal-i-'dät-ə-mē n, pl -mies the surgical inactivation of the globus pallidus or a part of it in the treatment of involuntary movements (as in Parkinson's disease)

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n.

a neurosurgical operation to destroy or modify the effects of the globus pallidus (see basal ganglia). This operation was used for the relief of parkinsonism and other conditions in which involuntary movements are prominent before the advent of modern drug therapies. The development of more accurate techniques to localize the globus pallidus has led to a revival in the use of the operation: in the modern form of pallidotomy, a lesion is made in the globus pallidus by stereotactic surgery (see stereotaxy).

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pal·li·dot·o·my (pal″ĭ-dotґə-me) [pallidum + -tomy] stereotactic surgery in which lesions are produced in the globus pallidus for treatment of extrapyramidal syndromes.