Preparation of adrenal medullary tissue for transplantation in Parkinson's disease: a new procedure. Technical note.

The authors describe a technique by which adrenal medullary tissue can be easily dissected from the adrenal cortex. The method involves perfusion with Locke's modified buffer, dissection of adrenal gland in buffer free of calcium or magnesium, and storage in a culture medium before implantation into the caudate nucleus of patients with Parkinson's disease. This method seems to increase the viability and purity of adrenal medullary tissue. The results obtained in 15 parkinsonian patients implanted with perfused adrenal medulla indicate the potential value of this technique.