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garik
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Joined: 11 Oct 2005
Posts: 5
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 Posted: 06/04/07 - 02:09 Post subject: |
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| Hi, my wife has parkinson's disease. The problem is that her therapy is not helping her much. It is very disturbing for our family to see her go through so much trouble. The doctor has suggested deep brain stimulation. He said that this therapy might help, but didn't explain how. Could someone tell me what does deep brain stimulation consider? How is this therapy performed? And most importantly, is deep brain stimulation effective for parkinson's disease? |
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irina
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Joined: 26 Nov 2006
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| Posted: 06/10/07 - 22:31 Post subject: |
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| Hi, I can understand your worry about your wife. Parkinson's disease can really be a crushing experience for the entire family. The medications that are used to treat Parkinson's disease are designed to help the brain with dopamine levels. The drugs stop the enzymes that metabolize dopamine, or, like levodopa, transform into dopamine in the brain. But, sometimes this isn't enough. Deep brain stimulation is a surgical option for the treatment of Parkinson's disease. The aim of the surgery is to stimulate the brain parts that are responsible for the control of the movement. First the surgeon identifies this part of the brain with the help of magnetic resonance imaging. Then the surgery is performed. An electrode is placed into the identified area. Afterwards, the loose ends of the electrodes are run under the skin of the head, neck and shoulder to a device called neurostimulator in the chest. The neurostimulator generates and sends electrical impulses to the brain, blocking the abnormal nerve signals that are responsible for tremor in Parkinson's disease. Deep brain stimulation is a very effective treatment option for Parkinson's patients. It reduces the dosage of used medicine and the stimulation can be adjusted by a patient, depending on the severity of the tremors. You should definitely talk to your wife's doctor again about this option. |
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