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AN APPRAISAL OF MODIFIED PREFRONTAL LEUCOTOMY
Author(s) -
Parker Gordon,
Gye Richard,
Kiloh L. G.
Publication year - 1972
Publication title -
medical journal of australia
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.904
H-Index - 131
eISSN - 1326-5377
pISSN - 0025-729X
DOI - 10.5694/j.1326-5377.1972.tb103639.x
Subject(s) - psychosurgery , medicine , psychiatry , pediatrics , psychology
Nine patients who had undergone modified prefrontal leucotomy at a neuropsychiatric unit are reviewed: eight patients were considered to have improved, the other was unchanged. All patients were discharged from hospital, and subsequently all required less psychiatric treatment. Such undesirable sequelae as occurred were transient. Two cases are described Illustrating the lengthy and intensive preoperative psychiatric treatment and the degree of incapacity common to the nine patients; in one there was a moderate improvement and in the other a remission. The type of patient who might be helped and certain prognostic indications are considered briefly. It was noteworthy that response to prefrontal leucotomy was poorer in those patients who returned to families unable to accept them in any other than a sick rote. The operation of modified prefrontal leucotomy appears to be a safe, effective, simple and worthwhile procedure In carefully selected patients who have failed to respond to prolonged and extensive psychiatric treatment.