Is capsulotomy effective in reducing OCD symptoms?
PATIENTS All 25 patients with OCD (14 women and 11 men) who underwent capsulotomy from 1988 to 2000 at the Karolinska University Hospital in Stockholm were included in this study. The mean age at first capsulotomy was 41 (SD, 11; range 25-68) years, and the mean duration of illness at the time of surgery was 21 (SD, 8; range, 8-40) years. The mean age at long-term follow-up was 52 (SD, 12; range, 33-83) years. The highest level of preoperative education was elementary school in 5 patients, high school in 14, and university in 6. At the time of surgery, 3 patients were gainfully employed. The preoperative DSM-III-R or DSM-IV diagnostic criteria for OCD were systematically assessed on the basis of a semistructured interview (n = 16) or the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM Axis I Disorders24 (n = 9). Comorbidity at the time of surgery included obsessive-compulsive personality disorder (n = 5), avoidant personality disorder (n = 1), depressive personality disorder (n = 2), depression
