Gamma knife for obsessive compulsive disorder: can it be detrimental?

Functional neurological disorders (FND) have been a challenge to treat both for neurologists and neurosurgeons. Various ablative as well as non-ablative techniques have been used to treat these disorders. Gamma knife radiosurgery (GKRS) is also being practised to treat refractory obsessive- compulsive disorder (OCD). The subsequent complications of GKRS reported have been variable, with headache being the most common. We discuss here a rare complication of 'late onset radiation necrosis in bilateral caudate nuclei' in a patient after receiving GKRS three years back. This case highlights the need to be more cautious before administering ablative procedures in patients suffering with functional disorders.