Project Summary

Steven A. Rasmussen, M.D. (Independent Investigator 2000) of Butler Hospital, is using a neurosurgical procedure called gamma capsulotomy for the treatment of patients with severe obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). Gamma capsulotomy is a new radiosurgical technique that focuses beams of cobalt gamma rays and lesions a small target deep in the brain, much as a magnifying glass focuses the rays of the sun. Because the gamma rays pass directly into the skull, the procedure does not require the neurosurgeon to open the cranium or enter the brain itself. Patients will be evaluated with a comprehensive battery of diagnostic examinations before, during, and following the procedure. This study should confirm the long term effectiveness and safety of this procedure in the treatment of severe OCD that has failed to respond to all other available treatments and should contribute to our understanding of the neural circuitry that appears to be involved in the pathogenesis of this disorder.

Program Area: ANXIETY DISORDERS\Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)

Search Again