Survival of Implanted Fetal Dopamine Cells and Neurologic Improvement 12 to 46 Months after Transplantation for Parkinson's Disease

Abstract

Patients with Parkinson's disease tend to have a reduced response to levodopa after 5 to 20 years of therapy, with "on—off" fluctuations consisting of dyskinesia alternating with immobility. In an effort to modify the motor disability of advanced Parkinson's disease, we implanted embryonic mesencephalic tissue containing dopamine cells into the caudate and putamen of seven patients. Two patients received unilateral grafts in the caudate and the putamen on the side opposite the side with worse symptoms. Five patients received bilateral grafts implanted in the putamen only. In six of the seven patients, the fetal tissue was obtained from a single embryo with a gestational age of seven to eight weeks. The tissue was injected by means of 10 to 14 needle passes. There were no surgical complications. Four of the seven patients underwent immunosuppression with cyclosporine and prednisone.