History of surgical management for Parkinson's disease

Since 1817, when James Parkinson described the syndrome that bears his name, there has been a sustained interest in developing new methods of therapy for this affliction. The history of surgical management of Parkinson's disease is a facinating tale of folly and serendipity. Surgical therapy of Parkinson's disease has a 60 year history. The initial targets spanned from the cerebral cortex, cerebral peduncle and spinal cord to radicular level. Following the first 20 years of therapeutic attempts, increasing attention was focused upon surgical targets within the basal ganglion.