A 61-year-old man, who was suffering from Parkinson's disease for the past few years, got relief through an implant at Apollo Speciality Hospitals here.
Speaking to reporters, the doctors said he was given Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS), sort of ‘pacemaker’ for the brain, similar to the pacemaker of the heart. It involves transmitting certain electrodes in parts of the brain which regulate electrical impulses to neutralise abnormal impulses that cause motor movement disorders.
The amount of stimulation is controlled by a pacemaker-type device installed under the skin of the chest which is connected to the electrodes through wires that travel under the skin.
The patient, after a successful career of being a sales manager in an automobile company, was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.
The doctors said the disease was a disorder of the brain wherein degeneration of specific parts result in diminished levels of Dopamine, which results in tremors, muscle stiffness, slowness of movement and imbalance in walking, leading to repeated falls. He was totally dependent on caregivers.
A ray of hope was given by a team of neurologists S. Meenakshi Sundaram, S.N. Karthik and P. Suresh, neurosurgeons D.Shyam, S. Sundararajan and Kevin Joseph along with neuro-anesthetist Nisha and intensivist Padmaprakash. Hospital Director Rohini Sridhar commended the team.
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