Microelectrode recording for the somatotopic placement of stereotactic thalamic lesions in the treatment of parkinsonian and cerebellar intention tremor.

Patients with parkinsonian tremor and rigidity and cerebellar intention tremor can be effectively treated with thalamic lesions provided that an accurate neurophysiologic method is employed to compensate for individual spatial variability of subcortical structures. The method described employs a technique of microelectrode recording in which the homuncular organization in ventralis posterior is explored and gives information as to the ideal laterality of lateral thalamic nuclear mass lesions for the treatment of tremor. This procedure has been used in 11 patients, 9 with Parkinson's disease and 2 with cerebellar intention tremor with good results and no complications to date.