EDEMA AND TROPHIC DISTURBANCES OF THE LOWER EXTREMITIES COMPLICATING PREFRONTAL LOBOTOMY

Abstract

Since April 1, 1942, 19 patients of the Milwaukee Sanitarium have had bilateral prefrontal lobotomies. All operations were done by two skilled and experienced neurosurgeons, who used the lateral approach described by Freeman and Watts.¹ Two of the older patients died of pneumonia while convalescing from the operation. Still another had acute collapse of a lung soon after the lobotomy but recovered. The very first patient to undergo the operation has since had one convulsion, but is regularly employed. None of the others, to our knowledge, has had convulsions. Immediately after operation all had rectal and vesical incontinence. Ten of the 17 survivors continue to have occasional sphincter accidents. One patient had a short, but intense, bout of diabetes insipidus during recovery from the procedure, but the complication was quickly controlled with posterior pituitary injection U. S. P. In the course of our postoperative observations on these 17 patients,