Man with Parkinson’s disease treated with deep brain stimulation

While the disease is a brain condition which is characterized by slowing of movements, tremors and rigidity of the joints, one many continue to remain unaware of the fact that the control on the symptoms may reduce over the years. Thereafter, he approached Sri Ramachandra Medical Centre in search of an alternative treatment. “We told him about ‘Deep Brain Stimulation, a modern therapy which involves placing two electrodes into the patient’s brain and connecting it up with a battery on the chest wall. We assured him that his symptoms can get better control with potential to reduce the dosage of medicines he was taking regularly,” said Dr Shankar, Head of the Department of Neurology. While he was suitable for surgery, and despite having promised to return for an operation within a month or two, Natarjan started having second thoughts as a surgery to the brain is often a risky affair. “I finally bolstered the courage to undergo a surgery when I noticed that the control on my symptoms have started to worsen. I approached the doctors at the hospital again and was admitted,” he said. 

He was first taken for a planning MRI scan and his scan images were thoroughly checked and the area to be implanted was carefully selected. “On the day of surgery, a frame was fitted on his head using local anaesthesia and he underwent a CT Scan. Now, these CT scan images were fused to the previous MRI and the computer calculated the coordinates for placing the electrodes. He was taken to the operation theatre and wires were placed through a drill hole and the brain cell recordings were studied,” said Functional Neurosurgeon DK Visvanathan. 

Stating that thereafter current was passed into the electrodes to study whether his symptoms were getting better or whether there were any side effects, he said, “Once the final target was selected the final electrode was placed carefully and the procedure repeated on the opposite side. Natarajan remained awake and cooperative throughout the operation which took nearly six hours.” 

He was put to sleep and the electrodes were brought under the skin to the left side of the chest and were connected to a battery. He had chosen to have an ultra-modern rechargeable implant which can be charged through his skin by placing a charging device over it. “Seven days after the surgery, his results were very clear. 

There was no tremor, no tightness and his mobility is good and all this with a reduction in his medicines and at a low current setting,” the doctor said ahead of his discharge on Monday.