Surgery and Radiosurgery in Autism: A Retrospective Study in 10 Patients.

INTRODUCTION A subgroup of patients with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) show self or heteroaggression, dyscontrol episodes, and others are of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) profile; some of them are resistant to medical and behavioural treatment. We describe the long-term outcome in a group of these patients, treated with radiofrequency brain lesions or combined stereotactic surgery and Gamma Knife (GK) radiosurgery. METHODS We reviewed the medical records of 10 ASD patients with pathological aggressiveness and OCD, who had undergone radiofrequency lesions and/or radiosurgery with GK in our institution. RESULTS The 10 patients had a significant reduction of their symptoms (PCQ 39.9 and 33, OAS 11.8 and 5, CYBOCS-ASD 30.4 and 20), preoperatively and in the last follow-up, respectively; p < 0.005 (in all cases), although all but 2 needed more than 1 treatment to maintain this improvement. CONCLUSIONS We observed a marked improvement in behaviour, quality of life, and relationship with the environment in all our 10 patients after the lesioning treatments, without long-lasting side effects.