The neurosurgical treatment of Alzheimer's disease: a review.

BACKGROUND Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a debilitating neurological illness of increasing prevalence. Because many patients are affected and current treatments have limited effectiveness, other therapeutic strategies are urgently needed. OBJECTIVES Here we provide a review of the neurosurgical approaches that have been attempted or are currently being investigated for the treatment of AD. METHODS Computerized database searches identified all of the published studies in the English-language literature examining the surgical treatment of AD since 1950. RESULTS The following 5 categories of neurosurgical treatment were identified: cerebrospinal fluid shunting, intraventricular infusions, tissue grafting, gene therapy, and electrical neural stimulation. CONCLUSIONS While none of the neurosurgical approaches applied to the treatment of AD have proven effective to date, recent trials involving gene therapy and electrical neural stimulation are showing promising early results. Larger trials investigating these treatments have been proposed or are currently under way.