Unfavorable outcome of adrenal medullary transplant for Parkinson's disease.

A 45-year-old woman with moderately severe parkinsonism underwent adrenal medullary autograft to the brain. The operation was performed in Mexico City. There were multiple post-operative complications, including worsening of the parkinsonism with almost complete loss of ability to communicate. Death from bronchopneumonia occurred 13 months after surgery. At autopsy the surgical tract was found to extend through the corpus callosum and into the thalamus on the opposite side. Residual necrotic adrenal tissue was found as a small round well-defined mass in the ventricle loosely attached to the left fornix. This case emphasizes the obvious risks of this still experimental procedure and the difficulties in obtaining a surviving and functional adrenal medullary graft.