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Protocol for Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation with Symptom Provocation to Treat Obsessive-compulsive Disorder
Published on: November 25, 2025
Prospective long-term follow-up of 44 patients who received cingulotomy for treatment-refractory obsessive-compulsive
Darin D Dougherty1, Lee Baer, G Rees Cosgrove
1Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA.
Objective:
Long-term outcome associated with cingulotomy for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) was prospectively assessed. Findings are reported for 18 patients previously described in 1995 and for 26 new patients.
Method:
An open preoperative and follow-up assessment was conducted at multiple time points for 44 patients undergoing one or more cingulotomies for treatment-refractory OCD. The patients were assessed by using the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-III-R preoperatively and with the Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale, the Beck Depression Inventory, and the Sickness Impact Profile both preoperatively and at all follow-up assessments. The patients completed clinical global improvement scales at all follow-up assessments.
Results:
At mean follow-up of 32 months after one or more cingulotomies, 14 patients (32%) met criteria for treatment response and six others (14%) were partial responders. Thus, 20 patients (45%) were at least partial responders at long-term follow-up after one or more cingulotomies. Few adverse effects were reported.
Conclusions:
Thirty-two percent to 45% of patients previously unresponsive to medication and behavioral treatments for OCD were at least partly improved after cingulotomy. Cingulotomy remains a viable treatment option for patients with severe treatment-refractory OCD.
