Managing Symptoms of Parkinson’s disease – Probing Viable Surgery Options
Brain surgery might be taken into consideration when medications fail in controlling symptoms of Parkinson’s disease or causing acute or immobilizing side-effects.
Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS)
Deep brain stimulation is a method employed for treating symptoms of Parkinson’s disease. It afflicts movements by employing electric impulses for stimulating a targeted brain region. The electric impulses are produced employing cable electrodes whose placement is done operatively inside the brain. DBS might be beneficial alongside treatment using levodopa or other medications while medications fail in ably controlling the symptoms. The method is a favoured operative procedure for treatment of majority of the later staging symptoms of Parkinson’s disease. It causes no harm to the brain tissues and has lesser risks in comparison to the earlier, vastly damaging operative procedures like thalamotomy and pallidotomy.
DBS does not either cure Parkinson’s disease or eradicate the requirement for medications. DBS conducted on the thalamus is employed for treating debilitating tremors that occur as a result of Parkinson’s disease. Methods stimulating the globus pallidus and subthalamic nucleus (duo targeted regions in the brain linked to motor functioning) have been found to be capable of controlling broader array of symptoms (alongside temors) and are employed more frequently as compared to stimulating the thalamus.
Latest study outcome for DBS
An evaluation of duo forms of deep brain stimulation has shown that they are analogously effectual in enhancing motor functioning among Parkinson’s patients. The group of study investigators, several of them hailing from the Veterans Affairs services were keen on finding out if either of the two areas when targeted would produce improved outcomes in Parkinson’s disease cases.
An aggregate of around 299 people with the disease were arbitrarily allotted into duo groups to go through DBS in either of the duo areas (globus pallidus or subthalamic nucleus) and the outcomes were evaluated when the candidates were on the course of medicines or not using them.
The patient results were contrasted subsequent to duo years of therapy. The investigators were essentially focussing on the manner in which motor functioning showed improvement in the duo sets, however they were additionally examined for quality of existence, inclusive of depressive tendencies, cognitive functioning and side-effects.
Duo years later, the investigators did not spot major difference in-between the duo sets.
The study investigators reached a conclusion that both these areas are viable targets to be treated.
Pallidotomy
A section of the brain known as the globus pallidus is overly active due to the disease causing a plummet in the activity of a diverse section of the brain which is responsible for controlling movements. Pallidotomy procedure which is atypically done involves accurate annihilation of these smallish regions in the deep-set brain regions which is causing the symptoms.
Neurotransplantation
Nuerotransplantation is an investigative surgical procedure involving implantation of cells (brain cells from fetus) producing dopamine inside sections of the brain which are responsible for controlling movements or striatum. Theoretically, the neurons post-transplantation are intended on making up for the loss of usual dopamine-manufacturing cells which would occur in this disease.
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