FDA-approved for more than 20 years, a RUSH neurosurgeon says he has patients seeking out Deep Brain Stimulation to treat Parkinson’s Disease, now that the technology and surgical techniques have evolved.
Dr. Sepehr Sani says Deep Brain Stimulation, or DBS, used to considered a, “last resort.”
“Fast forward, now it's an entirely different picture. We have patients who arrive and know the technology. They actually ask for it because it adds such a huge quantity to the quality of life,” Sani said.
One of his patients is Tricia O’Neill from Hinsdale, who was diagnosed in October 2016 with Parkinson’s Disease, and began experiencing tremors and involuntary movements.
“My worst issue is I had a gait problem. I would think about every step I was taking, which was just physically and mentally exhausting. So I tried to change my meds. I tried physical therapy, exercise and I tried Botox shots for my feet, none of that worked,” O’Neill said.
After talking extensively with her family and Dr. Sani, she decided to try Deep Brain Stimulation, a surgical treatment that involves an implant in the chest and brain. It can lessen motor symptoms in patients who qualify.
“Electrically, we can restore the function that's lost when dopamine starts to go away by putting a wire in a very specific area of the brain and delivering a very particular type of stimulation that's controlled by the generator that's put into the chest,” Sani said.
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If needed, O’Neill is able to adjust the settings using an app on her phone.
“I have the ability to control it if I if I feel like I need a tweak here and there. But I leave it on 24 hours a day because why would I want to go back to where I was before?” O’Neill said.
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“Before when I was having trouble walking, I felt like I was observing my life instead of participating in it,” said O’Neill, calling DBS, “just a real game changer. I can walk. I can walk across the room without having to think about the steps.”
As research continues to find a cure for Parkinson’s, Sani said one benefit of DBS is it is reversible.
“The device can be entirely removed and patients will be eligible for having the cure or any new technology that comes about,” Sani said.
“I like people to know that Parkinson's, it's not a death sentence, but it's a life sentence that you have to deal with the rest of your life. So you owe to yourself to just to embrace any kind of therapies that can help you,” O’Neill said.
