By Annette Pinder

Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) at UB Neurosurgery’s Comprehensive Center for Movement Disorders is Nothing Short of Miraculous for Patients Suffering from the Effects of Parkinson’s Disease and Essential Tremor

Watch a Video of One Person’s Transformation Here.

Parkinson’s disease (PD) has certainly been in the news lately. We’ve watched Michael J. Fox struggle and advocate to find a cure for PD. And recently Susan Schneider Williams, wife of beloved actor Robin Williams, revealed that, in addition to PD, her husband suffered from a rare kind of dementia called Lewy body, prompting him to end his life.

PD is a movement disorder that develops gradually and worsens over time. While a tremor is the most common sign of PD, the disorder also causes stiffness or slowing of movement. Those affected may show little facial expression, arms that don’t naturally swing while walking, and soft or slurred speech. Another common movement disorder that involves just tremor, not the other bothersome symptoms of PD, is called Essential Tremor or familial tremor (ET). Symptoms are often mild and can worsen with age. Currently there is no cure, medications may help some, but they have side effects and rarely reduce tremor significantly.

According to the National Parkinson’s Foundation, 40 million people in the U.S. suffer from some type of movement disorder, and one million live with PD. Yearly, 60,000 are diagnosed, and thousands more are undetected. Its incidence increases with age, and men are one and a half times more likely to get it than women.

Robert Plunkett, M.D., Surgical Director of the Comprehensive Movement Disorders Center at UB Neurosurgery says, “When medicines stop working, which is common after a period of time, deep brain stimulation (DBS) is a surgical option that helps both PD and ET. DBS uses a surgically implanted, battery-operated implantable pulse generator (IPG) similar to a heart pacemaker about the size of a stopwatch to deliver electrical stimulation to the brain.

Prior to DBS, and with the patient awake, Dr. Plunkett uses MRI imaging and CT scanning to identify and locate the exact target that requires stimulation, inserting a small wire in the brain that monitors nerve cell activity. These areas are typically the thalamus for ET and subthalamus for PD. A thin, insulated wire inserted through a small opening in the skull is implanted in the brain. The tip of the electrode is positioned and the extension is an insulated wire passed under the skin of the head, neck, and shoulder, connecting the lead to the IPG. The IPG is implanted under the skin near the collarbone, and electrical impulses are sent along the extension wire and lead into the brain to block abnormal electrical signals. There is a very low chance that placement of the stimulator may cause bleeding or infection in the brain.

Not everyone is a candidate for this procedure – it is estimated that 15-20 percent of people with PD could benefit from DBS. For Charles Burton of Brocton, New York, the results have been miraculous. After being tortured by his condition for years, his body is finally at peace. Watching Charles smile broadly in a recent video as he strutted down the hall of the UBNS wearing a suit for the first time in 11 years brought tears to all who were watching. See a video of Charles’ miraculous transformation at https://buffalohealthyliving.com/wp-content/uploads/Charles-Burton.mov

WNY Resource:

Robert Plunkett, M.D. is the Surgical Director of the Comprehensive Movement Disorders Center, and Associate Professor of Neurosurgery at UB Neurosurgery. To make an appointment with Dr. Plunkett or attend a free seminar on DBS, call Pat Weigel, RN, at 716-218-1000, Ext. 6115. Learn more at www.ubns.com.