Healthcare: Delhi doctors implant pacemaker in brain to control Parkinson’s disease

Suffering from Parkinson’s disease for the last nine years, 51-year-old Savitri Devi has been given a new lease of life after doctors at a private hospital here implanted a pacemaker in her brain to treat the neurological disorder.
Devi’s condition started with tremors and bradykinesia (difficulty in movement) and later she developed stiffness.

She was on medication but the symptoms kept worsening, leaving her unable to walk, turn or even get out of bed properly.

She also could not control her hands and feet and they moved without her control. In addition, she also started developing side effects from the medications.

After evaluating her condition, doctors at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital suggested Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS), which is often described as a pacemaker for the brain.

“Deep brain stimulation is a newer surgery where you stimulate specific areas of the brain. It works just like the pacemaker of the brain. In this case, we plan to stimulate the subthalamic nucleus of the brain. The aim of the surgery Control the disease and improve the lifestyle of the patient,” Dr Shrey Jain, Associate Consultant, Department of Neurosurgery at the hospital, said in a statement.

“It is particularly useful in diseases such as Parkinson’s disease, tremors and dystonia and has been evaluated and shown positive results for psychiatric conditions such as depression and mania (abnormally elevated, extreme changes in your mood). Minimum The invasive surgeries are performed when the patient is awake during the entire surgery with the help of skilled anesthetists and technicians with the backup of advanced gadgets.”

In the surgery, electrodes are passed bilaterally into the deep brain through two small holes in the skull, Jain explained.

“The location was confirmed during surgery by continuously examining the patient and recording brain electrical current. During surgery his speech, eye movements and limb strength were being monitored and it was being observed that his symptoms How is the improvement taking place so as to ensure that the surgery is maximized with minimum complications.

“During the surgery, she stopped speaking at one point, so the electrodes were replaced and her speech came back. A CT scan was also done after the surgery to make sure the electrodes were in the right position. Later The battery was inserted into the chest wall as a sort of pacemaker,” Jain said.
He said that Devi has improved a lot after the surgery and can lead a normal life without any side effects of the medicines.

The dosage of medicines has also been reduced and their side effects are also less. She is living an almost normal life again which she thought was almost impossible. There has been a marked improvement in her tremor symptoms. The doctor said that now she can hold things properly.

Dr. Ajit K. Sinha, Senior Consultant, Hospital.

“With advancing technology and surgical skills, people need to be aware of such options to have the best chance of living a normal life despite these problems,” he added.