Delray Medical Center now offers patients suffering from neurological disorders a chance to change their lives for the better with the deep brain stimulation procedure.
“The deep brain stimulation procedure serves as an avenue of hope for those who were previously unable to obtain symptom relief,” said Dr. Lloyd Zucker, a neurosurgeon on the medical staff at Delray Medical Center. “Tremors, involuntary movements, also called dyskinesias, or muscle rigidity, are the symptoms that generally improve the most. The surgery can also help reduce the fluctuating response to medications that is seen in later stages of Parkinson’s disease.”
The deep brain stimulation procedure involves placing a small electrode into specific targets within a patient’s brain. These targets are specific to each disease and are identified on special MRIs a few weeks prior to the procedure. The electrode is then connected to a neurostimulator (similar to a pacemaker), which is implanted under the skin below the collarbone. Electric pulses from the neurostimulator are carried by the electrode to the target in the brain. Many Patients will stay in the hospital for one or two nights after the initial procedure before going home. Following the procedure, some patients can reduce their medication doses, thereby reducing side effects.
