Transplantation of Fetal Substantia Nigra and Adrenal Medulla to the Caudate Nucleus in Two Patients with Parkinson's Disease

Abstract

To the Editor: During wide experience with autografting of the adrenal medulla to the caudate nucleus in patients with Parkinson's disease,^{1 , 2} we observed a marked improvement in young patients but a high morbidity and mortality rate in elderly patients (>60 years). The latter observation is probably due in part to the fact that autotransplantation involves two major, simultaneous operations, a laparotomy and a craniotomy, which at times makes postoperative recovery difficult in older patients. Since Parkinson's disease occurs predominantly in older patients, transplanting fetal tissue could be an alternative, particularly because such transplantation has been quite successful in various animal . . .