J Neurosurg / Volume 118 / March 2013 491

J Neurosurg 118:491497, 2013

AANS, 2013
O
BSESSIVE-COMPULSIVE disorder is a psychiatric ill-
ness characterized by intrusive, recurrent thoughts
(obsessions) coupled with repetitive behaviors
that are performed in an attempt to reduce anxiety (com-
pulsions). These obsessions and compulsions can cause
severe emotional distress, fnancial hardship, and social
isolation. With a lifetime prevalence of approximately
2%3%,
22
OCD is among the most common mental ill-
nesses in the US, and of patients in whom OCD is di-
agnosed, one-half experience severe symptoms.
15
Ob-
sessive-compulsive disorder is also associated with high
rates of comorbid MDD and suicidal ideations.
21
Standard treatment for patients with OCD includes
a combination of psychotherapy and pharmacotherapy;
however, 40%60% of patients do not respond satisfac-
Limbic system surgery for treatment-refractory
obsessive-compulsive disorder: a prospective long-term
follow-up of 64 patients
Clinical article
Sameer a. Sheth, m.D., Ph.D.,
1
Jonathan neal, B.S.,
1
FranceS tangherlini, B.a.,
1

matthew K. mian, m.D.,
1,2
anDre gentil, m.D.,
3
g. reeS coSgrove, m.D.,
4

emaD n. eSKanDar, m.D.,
1,2
anD Darin D. Dougherty, m.D.
2,5
Departments of
1
Neurosurgery and
5
Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston;
2
Harvard
Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts;
3
Department of Psychiatry, University of Sao Paulo Medical School,
Sao Paulo, Brazil; and
4
Department of Neurosurgery, Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University,
Providence, Rhode Island
Object. Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a common and disabling psychiatric illness, and in a signif-
cant proportion of patients with OCD the disease is refractory to conventional pharmacotherapy and psychotherapy.
For more than half a century, patients with severe, treatment-resistant OCD have been treated with stereotactic limbic
system lesions, including dorsal anterior cingulotomy. The authors present their results describing the effcacy and
durability of limbic system surgery for OCD, characterizing a large cohort of patients treated at a single institution
with a mean follow-up of more than 5 years.
Methods. The authors identifed 64 consecutive patients undergoing cingulotomy for refractory OCD at the
Massachusetts General Hospital between 1989 and 2009. Changes in OCD and major depressive disorder symptom
severity were assessed at both the initial and most recent postoperative follow-up by using the Yale-Brown Obsessive
Compulsive Scale and the Beck Depression Inventory, respectively. Full and partial OCD symptom responses were
defned as Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale score reductions of 35% and 25%34%, respectively.
Results. Regarding OCD symptom improvement, at the frst postoperative follow-up (mean 10.7 months), 35%
of patients demonstrated a full response and 7% were partial responders. Thirty patients had a subsequent procedure
(repeat cingulotomy or subcaudate tractotomy). By the most recent follow-up (mean 63.8 months), rates climbed to
47% and 22% for full and partial responses, respectively. Of the 24 patients with at least a partial response at initial
follow-up, 20 (83%) retained at least a partial response at fnal follow-up. Comorbid major depressive disorder sever-
ity decreased by 17% at the most recent follow-up.
Conclusions. Limbic system surgery based on initial cingulotomy offers a durable and effective treatment op-
tion for appropriately selected patients with severe OCD who have not responded to conventional pharmacotherapy
or psychotherapy.
(http://thejns.org/doi/abs/10.3171/2012.11.JNS12389)
Key worDS cingulotomy obsessive-compulsivedisorder
psychiatricneurosurgery depression functionalneurosurgery
491
Abbreviations used in this paper: BDI = Beck Depression Inven-
tory; CBTC = corticobasal gangliathalamocortical; DBS = deep
brain stimulation; DSM-III, -IIIR, -IV = Diagnostic and Statistical
Manual of Mental Disorders, 3rd edition, 3rd editionrevised, 4th
edition; MDD = major depressive disorder; OCD = obsessive-
compulsive disorder; SRI = serotonin reuptake inhibitor; Y-BOCS
= Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale.
See the corresponding editorial in this issue, pp 489490.
S. A. Sheth et al.
492 J Neurosurg / Volume 118 / March 2013
torily.
21
In patients with severe OCD, various neurosur-
gical interventions may be considered when exhaustive
trials of conventional treatments have proven unsuc-
cessful. Dorsal anterior cingulotomy, developed at the
Massachusetts General Hospital in the 1960s,
4
has for
decades been successfully used for patients with severe,
treatment-refractory OCD. Other effective stereotactic
ablative procedures within the limbic system include an-
terior capsulotomy,
17,25
subcaudate tractotomy,
16
and lim-
bic leukotomy,
13,14
which is a combination of cingulotomy
and subcaudate tractotomy.
Our groups initial retrospective review of the effca-
cy of cingulotomy for OCD included 33 patients who un-
derwent at least one cingulotomy procedure.
12
By conser-
vative estimate, at least 25%30% of patients experienced
a signifcant improvement in OCD symptoms (a decrease
of 35%) as measured on the Y-BOCS. A subsequent
prospective study assessed the long-term outcomes of
18 patients, and confrmed the 25%30% response rate,
with a mean follow-up period of nearly 27 months.
3
More
recently, we updated the outcomes of those 18 patients
and an additional 26, with a 32-month mean follow-up.
6

In this group of 44 patients, 45% experienced at least a
partial response to cingulotomy. Some of them had un-
dergone a second or third cingulotomy procedure. In both
of these prospective studies, patients also experienced an
improvement in anxiety and depression symptoms.
Currently, we report the long-term results of the 44
patients from our last study, and include 20 additional pa-
tients who have since undergone cingulotomy for OCD.
Some of these patients also underwent subsequent limbic
system surgical procedures (repeat cingulotomy or sub-
caudate tractotomy). We sought to assess the long-term
effcacy and durability of limbic system surgery predi-
cated on initial cingulotomy in this group of 64 patients,
with a mean follow-up of more than 5 years.
Methods
Patient Selection
This study was approved by the Massachusetts Gen-
eral Hospital Institutional Review Board. Patients re-
ferred to our institution between 1989 and 2009 for eval-
uation of their candidacy for limbic system surgery for
OCD were thoroughly evaluated by a multidisciplinary
team consisting of psychiatrists, neurologists, and neuro-
surgeons. Surgical candidates were required to have met
DSM-III, DSM-IIIR, or DSM-IV criteria for OCD, to
have demonstrated severe functional impairment due to
symptoms related to OCD, and to have failed to beneft
from conventional psychopharmacological and behavior
treatments. Medication trials must have included a mini-
mum of 3 SRIs. One of these SRIs must have included
clomipramine hydrochloride. Also required were 2 trials
with augmentation agents, such as clonazepam, lithium
carbonate, buspirone hydrochloride, and typical or atypi-
cal antipsychotic drugs. For a trial to be considered ade-
quate, the maximum tolerated dose must have been taken
for at least 10 weeks. In addition, a minimum of 20 hours
of behavior therapy, including exposure and response pre-
vention, must also have been completed.
Patients considered appropriate by these criteria were
offered cingulotomy, and they signed informed consent
for enrollment in the study after a careful discussion of
the risks and benefts of surgery. Some patients who did
not derive clinical beneft from cingulotomy after several
months underwent a second and sometimes a third proce-
dure. Subsequent procedures were either a repeat cingu-
lotomy or a subcaudate tractotomy (thereby completing a
limbic leukotomy).
Operative Technique
Procedures were performed using standard MRI-
guided frame-based stereotactic techniques under local
anesthesia. Bilateral bur holes were placed 1.5 cm lateral to
the midline and 9.5 cm posterior to the nasion. In some pa-
tients (prior to approximately the year 2000) a single pair
of lesions was made, termed a single anterior cingulotomy.
The target was 2 cm posterior to the most anterior point
of the frontal horn of the lateral ventricle, 0.7 cm lateral
to midline, and 0.5 cm superior to the corpus callosum.
Lesions were produced using a thermoelectric ablation
electrode (Cosman Medical) with a 10-mm exposed tip,
heated to 85C for 60 seconds. In other patients (after ap-
proximately the year 2000) a triple anterior cingulotomy
was performed. The aforementioned target corresponded
to the most posterior pair of lesions. Two more pairs of
lesions were then created, each 7 mm anterior and 2 mm
inferior to the previous lesion. A postoperative MRI scan
was obtained to verify the location of the lesions (Fig. 1).
Data Collection and Rating Scales
The patients electronic and paper medical records as
well as telephone interviews were reviewed to determine
patient demographics, surgery characteristics, and assess-
ment scores.
For clinical ratings of OCD and depression symptoms,
we evaluated patient data at 3 different time points: 1) pre-
operatively, at baseline; 2) at the frst postoperative follow-
up; and 3) at the most recent postoperative follow-up. The
frst postoperative clinical assessment visit was usually
scheduled to occur 912 months after surgery because the
effect of the lesion evolves over months. In the interim, the
patients were seen for surgical follow-up visits and closely
followed by their referring psychiatrist. Included among
the assessments were the structured clinical interview for
DSM-IV preoperatively, and the Y-BOCS and BDI scores
Fig. 1. Sagittal T1-weighted MR images of the left hemisphere de-
picting lesions created by the triple dorsal anterior cingulotomy on post-
operative Day 1 (left), and 78 months later (right) in a representative
patient.
J Neurosurg / Volume 118 / March 2013
Limbic system surgery for OCD: long-term follow-up
493
both pre- and postoperatively. The Y-BOCS and BDI as-
sessments are considered to be valid and reliable measure-
ments of obsessive-compulsive and depressive symptoms,
respectively.
5,8
Analysis of Data
To classify patient response we used the change in
Y-BOCS score as the primary outcome measure. Full re-
sponders were classifed as patients demonstrating a de-
crease of 35% in Y-BOCS score, indicating signifcant
improvement of OCD symptoms. Partial responders were
classifed as patients who demonstrated a Y-BOCS score
decrease of 25%34%; hence a lesser, yet worthwhile im-
provement in their OCD symptoms. Nonresponders were
classifed as patients who had little to no improvement in
OCD symptoms as evidenced by a decrease in Y-BOCS
score of < 25%. Pharmacology trials have traditionally
used thresholds of 25% and 35% to defne response; hence
we used these categorical thresholds to defne partial and
full response, respectively. In addition, previous surgical
studies have defned response identically. For descriptive
statistics, the mean was used as a measure of central ten-
dency, and the SEM as a measure of dispersion.
Results
Patient Demographic Data
Sixty-four patients (42 male and 22 female patients)
were included in this study. The mean age at the time of
surgery was 34.7 1.4 years (range 1669 years). The
mean follow-up duration for the frst postoperative visit
was 10.7 1.3 months, and for the most recent visit it was
63.8 7.7 months. Thirty-six patients underwent cingu-
lotomy with a single pair of lesions, and 28 received a
triple pair of lesions. Patients who failed to improve after
the procedure were considered for a second and some-
times a third procedure. Thirty-four patients underwent
a single cingulotomy procedure, and 30 underwent one
or more subsequent procedures (second procedure in 30,
and third procedure in 5). Of the 64 total patients, com-
plete follow-up data were available in 57. In an additional
2 patients, initial follow-up scores were not available, but
most recent follow-up scores were. Thus, percentages
were calculated based on a denominator of 57 at initial
follow-up and 59 at most recent follow-up.
Prior to consideration for cingulotomy, several at-
tempts at standard nonsurgical management, including
medical and behavioral therapy, must have been tried and
have failed. In patients in this cohort, 9.2 0.5 monother-
apy trials (at least 3 of which must have been SRIs) had
failed, as had 2.2 0.1 augmentation trials with benzo-
diazepines, mood stabilizers or anticonvulsants, or typi-
cal or atypical antipsychotics. In addition, these patients
had participated in a minimum of 60 hours of behavioral
therapy, with many patients having undergone behavioral
therapy for several years.
Outcome for All Patients
Table 1 details the patient clinical rating scores and
treatment responses at preoperative baseline and at the
frst and most recent postoperative follow-up. Prior to sur-
gery, the mean Y-BOCS score for the cohort was 31.3,
placing them in the severe disease category. At the frst
follow-up (mean 10.7 months), 20 patients (35%) met the
criterion for a full response, whereas 4 (7%) were classi-
fed as partial responders. These numbers had increased
by the most recent mean follow-up of 63.8 months, at
which time 28 patients (47%) met the criteria for full re-
sponders and 13 patients (22%) for partial. Thus, 41 pa-
tients (69%) achieved at least partial responder status at
most recent follow-up.
The mean Y-BOCS score change (for which a de-
crease from preoperative baseline represents an improve-
ment in OCD symptoms) was a decrease of 26% at the
frst follow-up and 36% at the most recent follow-up. Cor-
respondingly, an improvement of comorbid depressive
symptoms was indicated by mean BDI score decreases
of 24% and 17% at the frst and at most recent follow-up,
respectively.
By univariate regression analysis, we found that nei-
ther age before surgery (p = 0.23), nor sex (p = 0.92), nor
types of obsessions and compulsions (sorted into 4 broad
categories: symmetry [p = 0.61], forbidden thoughts [p =
0.59], cleaning/contamination [p = 0.75], and hoarding [p
= 0.91]) was predictive of the change in Y-BOCS score.
Of the 20 patients who had achieved full responder
status at the time of the frst follow-up, 14 remained full
responders by the time of the most recent follow-up. Two
dropped to partial responder status in that interval, and
4 became nonresponders. During the same interval, 11
patients who were nonresponders at initial follow-up be-
came full responders, and 1 moved from partial to full
responder, for a total of 28 full responders at the most
recent follow-up. An additional 8 initial nonresponders
gained partial response status. Thus of the 24 patients
with at least a partial response at initial follow-up, 20
(83%) retained at least a partial response at most recent
follow-up.
Outcome After Single Procedure
Of 34 patients (30 with initial and 32 with most re-
cent follow-up data available) who underwent a cingu-
lotomy with no other subsequent procedure, 15 patients
(50%) achieved a full response and 3 patients (10%)
achieved a partial response at the frst follow-up. The
average Y-BOCS change in this group was a decrease
of 36%. At the most recent follow-up, 12 patients (38%)
were full responders, and an additional 8 (25%) were
partial responders, for a total of 20 patients (63%) with at
least partial response. The mean Y-BOCS change at that
time was a decrease of 28%.
Outcome After Multiple Procedures
Thirty patients (27 with available follow-up data)
underwent a second procedure following the initial cin-
gulotomy (either repeat cingulotomy or subcaudate trac-
totomy). The mean interval between the frst and second
procedure was 17.3 3.2 months. Five patients underwent
a third procedure (subcaudate tractotomy in all cases).
The mean interval between the second and third proce-
dure was 24.3 5.1 months.
S. A. Sheth et al.
494 J Neurosurg / Volume 118 / March 2013
Within this group, there were only 5 full responders
(19%) and 1 partial responder (4%) at the initial follow-
up. The mean change in Y-BOCS score was a decrease
of 15%. At the most recent follow-up after the last pro-
cedure, however, the response rate increased to 16 (59%)
full and 5 (19%) partial, with a mean Y-BOCS decrease
of 45%. Thus, 21 patients (78%) experienced at least a
partial long-term response following their last procedure.
A 2 3 chi-square analysis (single vs multiple proce-
dure full vs partial vs nonresponse) demonstrated no dif-
ference in responder status at the most recent follow-up be-
tween those who underwent a single procedure compared
with those who underwent multiple procedures (c
2
= 2.86,
df = 2, p = 0.24).
Single Versus Triple Anterior Cingulotomy
Thirty-six patients underwent an initial cingulotomy
consisting of a single pair of lesions, and 28 underwent
an initial cingulotomy with a triple pair of lesions. A 2
3 chi-square analysis (single pair vs triple pair initial cin-
gulotomy full vs partial vs nonresponse) demonstrated
no difference in long-term response status attributable to
whether the initial cingulotomy was a single or triple le-
sion pair (c
2
= 1.33, df = 2, p = 0.51).
Postoperative Complications
There were 19 adverse events. There were no intra-
cranial hemorrhages. Five patients had temporary post-
operative memory diffculty that resolved days to months
later. Two patients had urinary retention that improved
after a few days, and 1 patient with preexisting urinary
incontinence reported a slight worsening of incontinence
postoperatively. Four patients had noticeable postopera-
tive abulia, 1 after the initial cingulotomy, and 3 others
after the later limbic leukotomy. In 1 of these patients, a
CT scan showed slightly larger ventricles, and a frontal
TABLE 1: Clinical response following limbic system surgery for OCD*
Procedure & Outcome
Findings
Preop First FU Most Recent FU
all patients; n = 64
responder 20 (35) 28 (47)
partial responder 4 (7) 13 (22)
nonresponder 33 (58) 18 (31)
Y-BOCS 31.3 0.8 22.7 1.3 19.6 1.1
Y-BOCS change (%) 26 4 36 4
BDI 26.7 1.4 18.8 1.6 19.1 1.9
BDI change (%) 24 7 17 11
FU (mos) 10.7 1.3 63.8 7.7
cingulotomy alone; n = 34
responder 15 (50) 12 (38)
partial responder 3 (10) 8 (25)
nonresponder 12 (40) 12 (38)
Y-BOCS 30.9 1.3 19.5 1.9 21.3 1.5
Y-BOCS change (%) 36 6 28 5
BDI 24.3 1.8 15.7 2.2 21.3 2.6
BDI change (%) 27 11 2 18
FU (mos) 12.7 2.0 58.5 10.7
cingulotomy + subsequent lesion; n = 30
responder 5 (19) 16 (59)
partial responder 1 (4) 5 (19)
nonresponder 21 (78) 6 (22)
Y-BOCS 31.7 1.0 25.4 1.6 17.9 1.7
Y-BOCS change (%) 15 4 45 5
BDI 29.7 2.2 20.8 2.1 17.4 2.7
BDI change (%) 22 7 41 8
FU (mos) 10.2 1.7 65.2 10.5
* Data are presented as either the number (%) or the mean SEM. Abbreviation: FU = follow-up.
Based on 57 patients with initial follow-up data in the all patients group; 30 in the cingulotomy alone group; and 27 in the
cingulotomy + subsequent lesion group.
Based on 59 patients with most recent follow-up data in the all patients group; 32 in the cingulotomy alone group; and 27 in
the cingulotomy + subsequent lesion group.
J Neurosurg / Volume 118 / March 2013
Limbic system surgery for OCD: long-term follow-up
495
ventriculostomy was placed in the operating room to rule
out hydrocephalus as a contributing factor to his neuro-
logical change. Intracranial pressures were in the single
digits, and the ventriculostomy was removed without in-
cident after 4 days. The abulia improved over the next few
days. Abulia in the other 3 patients who were observed
conservatively also spontaneously improved in the ensu-
ing days.
Three patients experienced intraoperative general-
ized seizures that resolved spontaneously within less than
1 minute. Two of these patients did not experience further
seizures, but 1 patient developed a seizure disorder that
required antiepileptic treatment for control. One addition-
al patient had a single postoperative seizure.
One patient developed an infection that progressed
into a subdural empyema. He underwent craniotomy for
evacuation of the empyema, with no further complication.
One patient had a pulmonary embolus while on a long
airplane trip home.
Two patients committed suicide. One had a history
of comorbid MDD (preoperative BDI 41, indicating se-
vere depression) with months of suicidal ideation and one
previous suicide attempt. At the frst and only follow-up
(7 months postoperatively) for this patient, her Y-BOCS
score was essentially unchanged (a decrease of 4%) but
her BDI had decreased by 27%. She committed suicide 3
months later. The second patient had a history of bipolar
disorder and was depressed (BDI 39, severe depression) at
the time of surgery. He was discharged from the hospital
in stable neurological condition on postoperative Day 2.
He committed suicide 8 days later.
Discussion
In this group of 64 patients undergoing limbic system
surgery for treatment-refractory OCD, we observed a full
response rate of 47%, and a partial response rate of 22%
with a mean follow-up of more than 5 years, for a total
of 69% achieving at least partial response. Considering
the fact that these patients had previously failed to beneft
from all conventional treatment modalities and had been
severely disabled by their illness for years or decades,
these responses represent signifcant improvements in
quality of life.
Our management strategy for surgical candidates is
based on initial cingulotomy. Slightly more than half the
patients underwent cingulotomy alone, with an initial full
responder rate of 50%. More than three-fourths of the re-
mainder were nonresponders to initial cingulotomy at the
initial follow-up and underwent subsequent procedures.
The dramatic increase in full responder rate between ini-
tial and fnal follow-up (from 19% to 59%) in the multiple
surgery group matched the success of the single surgery
group, with no signifcant difference between the groups
at fnal follow-up. Thus the graduated approach consisting
of initial cingulotomy followed by subsequent procedures
in nonresponders appears to be an effective strategy.
Compared with our previous study from 2002,
6
our
current results further establish the effcacy and durability
of limbic system surgery. In that study, a full response was
defned as a Y-BOCS score decrease 35% and a clinical
global improvement score 2. Achievement of one but not
both criteria was classifed as a partial response. Because
clinical global improvement values were not available for
a suffcient number of patients at the most recent follow-up
in the current study, we used Y-BOCS decrease 35% as
the sole criterion for a full response. Thus full-responder
status in the current study is similar in criteria terms to
partial-responder status in our previous study. Given this
correspondence in response criteria, the 47% full response
rate in the current study with a mean 64-month follow-up
is very similar to the 45% full or partial response rate with
32-month follow-up in our previous study. This stability in
response rate over a follow-up interval twice as long, along
with the observed 83% maintenance of response status be-
tween initial and most recent follow-up, support the dura-
bility of the improvements in OCD symptoms following
stereotactic ablative procedures.
Nineteen patients who were nonresponders at initial
follow-up gained at least partial responder status by last
follow-up. This number accounts for almost half of the 41
total patients with at least a partial response. This pace
of improvement suggests that the anatomical and physi-
ological changes set in motion by the lesions occur on
the time scale of months to years. Given this experience,
our current practice for patients with a suboptimal early
response is to observe for at least 912 months before
considering a subsequent procedure. Anticipation of this
timeline should also be an important component of the
preoperative discussion with patients and referring psy-
chiatrists.
The overall improvement in BDI scores of 17% at 5
years in the current study is less than the 27% improve-
ment at 2.5 years observed in our previous study.
6
At ini-
tial follow-up, however, the current cohorts 24% decrease
was similar to the previous studys 29% decrease. It is
therefore possible that whereas the initial improvement in
depressive symptoms is substantial, it is less durable than
the improvement in OCD symptoms, especially given the
fact that these patients eligibility for surgery was based
primarily on OCD rather than depressive symptoms. In-
deed, the mean preoperative BDI for patients at our in-
stitution, whose primary indication for cingulotomy was
MDD, was 39,
23
compared with the mean preoperative
BDI of 27 in the current cohort. Correspondingly, the BDI
at last follow-up for the MDD group in that earlier study
was 21, a fnal end point very similar to the BDI of 19 for
the current OCD group.
Most of the adverse effects in this series were self-
limited, but a few were signifcant. There were no intra-
cranial hemorrhages, and there was 1 infection. The pos-
sibility of postoperative abulia should be recognized, as
should the observation that it is more common following
limbic leukotomy than cingulotomy, and that it typically
improves without intervention. The BDI scores of the 2
patients who committed suicide were 39 and 41, indicat-
ing severe depression. The BDI score of one of the pa-
tients had actually improved before she committed sui-
cide, but the other suicide occurred soon after surgery.
Although the pathophysiology of OCD is not com-
pletely understood, dysfunction in CBTC circuits appears
to play a central role. Whereas other CBTC circuits are re-
S. A. Sheth et al.
496 J Neurosurg / Volume 118 / March 2013
sponsible for the control of limb movement, eye movement,
and working memory, the CBTC components implicated
in OCD are those involved in behavioral or affective con-
trol.
1,2
These include the ventromedial, orbitofrontal, and
cingulate cortex; the ventromedial caudate and ventral stri-
atum; and the mediodorsal thalamus.
The success of surgical procedures derives from their
ability to modulate these regions and the white matter
connections between them. The frst application of ste-
reotactic procedures in neurosurgery, performed by Spie-
gel and colleagues,
24
consisted of lesioning the medial
nucleus of the thalamus to reduce emotional reactivity.
The anterior capsulotomy, developed by Talairach et al.
25

and Leksell,
17
targeted connections between the orbito-
frontal cortex and thalamus in the anterior limb of the
internal capsule,

and motivated later DBS studies in that
target.
19,20
Knight
16
developed the subcaudate tractotomy
to disrupt connections between prefrontal cortical re-
gions, the cingulate, and deep limbic structures including
the amygdala. Shortly thereafter, in the mid-1960s, Bal-
lantine and colleagues
4
targeted the cingulate cortex it-
self, along with connecting fbers in the cingulum bundle,
with the dorsal anterior cingulotomy. The combination of
the latter two, the limbic leukotomy, was later used by
Kelly and colleagues.
13,14
Recently DBS, motivated by the success of lesioning
procedures,
9,11,18
has emerged as a promising treatment for
OCD. The encouraging initial results of DBS for OCD
led to the approval of this procedure under a humanitari-
an device exemption from the FDA. Potentially appealing
characteristics of DBS include its reversibility and pro-
grammability. Furthermore, information obtained from
DBS studies may help elucidate the neuroanatomical ba-
sis for OCD and inform the development of further thera-
pies. In addition, DBS procedures are easily amenable
to double blinding and sham treatment as a control, and
previous
7,9,10
and ongoing trials have incorporated such a
design. The lack of these features is an important limi-
tation of the current study. Given the refractory nature
of the disease in patients who qualify for consideration
for cingulotomy as well as the rigorous candidacy vetting
process, a sham-treated control group would be ethically
diffcult to justify.
Results from a multicenter trial of DBS for OCD in
the ventral capsule/ventral striatum target are similar to
those in this study.
9
The mean preoperative Y-BOCS for
the 26 patients in that study was 34.0, similar to the value
of 31.3 for the 64 patients in our cohort. The full respond-
er rate (also defned as 35%) at 12 months was 48%,
and at last follow-up (mean 31.4 months) it was 61.5%.
The fraction of patients who achieved at least partial re-
sponder status (also 25%) at last follow-up was 73% in
the DBS study, compared with our value of 69%. Thus
the effcacy of ventral capsule/ventral striatum DBS for
OCD seems approximately similar to that for stereotactic
ablative procedures, although it should be noted that the
follow-up duration in the DBS study was less than half
that of the current study.
However, DBS is expensive, both in terms of cost of
the equipment and the time required for adjustment of
stimulation parameters. Furthermore, DBS but not lesion
studies typically involve long-term follow-up by com-
mitted, expert, and dedicated OCD specialists. The po-
tentially benefcial effect of this additional surveillance
should not be underestimated and has not been closely
studied. It will be interesting to compare long-term out-
comes of DBS to those of ablative procedures.
Conclusions
Limbic system surgery based on initial cingulotomy
for severe, treatment-refractory OCD remains a viable
and durable option for appropriate patients when conven-
tional treatments have failed. As new therapies including
DBS are developed and tested, it will be important to
keep these results in mind, as they continue to stand the
test of time.
Disclosure
The authors report no conflict of interest concerning the mate-
rials or methods used in this study or the findings specified in this
paper.
Author contributions to the study and manuscript preparation
include the following. Conception and design: Sheth, Cosgrove,
Eskandar, Dougherty. Acquisition of data: Neal, Tangherlini, Gen-
til, Dougherty. Analysis and interpretation of data: Sheth, Neal,
Tangherlini, Mian. Drafting the article: Sheth, Neal. Critically
revising the article: all authors. Reviewed submitted version of
manuscript: all authors. Approved the final version of the manuscript
on behalf of all authors: Sheth. Statistical analysis: Sheth. Study
supervision: Cosgrove, Eskandar, Dougherty.
Acknowledgments
The authors thank Valerie Giorgione and Amanda Duffy for
their help with data collection.
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Manuscript submitted February 16, 2012.
Accepted November 8, 2012.
Portions of this work were submitted in abstract form for the
American Association of Neurological Surgeons annual meeting,
which was held in Miami, Florida, on April 1418, 2012.
Please include this information when citing this paper: published
online December 14, 2012; DOI: 10.3171/2012.11.JNS12389.
Address correspondence to: Sameer A. Sheth, M.D., Department
of Neurosurgery, Massachusetts General Hospital, 55 Fruit Street,
White 502, Boston, Massachusetts 02114. email: sasheth@partners.
org.