In reply: Is the Reporting of Complications a Disservice to Neurology and Neurosurgery? Complications of Gamma Knife Surgery for Parkinson Disease

Dr Young, writing in response to our article, suggests that in reporting the serious complications of 8 patients receiving gamma knife surgery for Parkinson disease (PD), we committed "a disservice to patients as well as physicians, neurologists, and neurosurgeons who care for patients with movement disorders." We strongly disagree with this statement and its potential implications for science and patient care. Dr Young's letter directs the attention of the reader toward comparisons of his experience with the gamma knife vs other groups' experiences with microelectrode-guided lesioning and DBS; however, the danger is that the true intent of our report will be lost. Our intent was simple. We are a large tertiary referral center for PD and movement disorders, and during a very short interval we saw 8 patients with PD who experienced significant complications after gamma knife surgery performed at an outside institution. There may be more cases from this center; we have subsequently seen 1 additional case since the publication of our article and have no idea how other patients receiving gamma knife surgery have fared.