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Resistant Bipolar Affective Disorder Treated by Stereotactic Subcaudate Tractotomy

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2018

A. Poynton ,
P. K. Bridges  and
J. R. Bartlett
A. Poynton
Affiliation:
United Medical and Dental Schools, Guy's Hospital and the Geoffrey Knight Unit for Affective Disorders
P. K. Bridges*
Affiliation:
United Medical and Dental Schools, Guy's Hospital and the Geoffrey Knight Unit for Affective Disorders
J. R. Bartlett
Affiliation:
Regional Neurosurgical Centre and the Geoffrey Knight Unit for Affective Disorders, Brook General Hospital
*
∗ United Medical and Dental Schools, Guy's Hospital SEI 9RT and the Geoffrey Knight Unit for Affective Disorders, Brook General Hospital, London SEI8 4LW
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Abstract

The results of stereotactic subcaudate tractotomy in nine patients with resistant bipolar affective disorder are presented in the form of a single case study with a summary of the other eight cases. Follow-up studies at 2–4 years showed substantial improvement in five patients and amelioration of symptoms in a further four patients, with a tendency for a greater improvement in the manic than in the depressive episodes. These preliminary results suggest that there is a place for this operation in the management of severe bipolar affective disorders which are not responding to any other treatment, although decisive recovery occurs less often than with unipolar depression.

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Type
Annotation
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The British Journal of Psychiatry , Volume 152 , Issue 3 , March 1988 , pp. 354 - 358
Copyright
Copyright © Royal College of Psychiatrists, 1988 

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