Activa Parkinson’s therapy gaining ground in SE Asia

Thousands of patients from Asia have already benefited from the Activa Parkinson’s Control Therapy, a deep-brain stimulation therapy that has been proven to suppress a number of Parkinson’s symptoms.

Data gathered by the Philippine Movement Disorder Surgery Center (PhilMove) show that in Taiwan alone, an average of 200 patients undergo the procedure annually.

In Thailand, 60 patients have availed themselves of the Activa Parkinson’s Control Therapy since its introduction in 2004 and in Hong Kong, 10 to 12 patients avail themselves of it every year.

Parkinson’s disease is a slowly progressive disorder that affects movement, muscle control, and balance. Its characteristic symptoms include involuntary trembling of the limbs, stiffness and rigidity of muscles, difficulty in balance, and bending or flexion of the body that cause disturbances in gait.

The Activa Parkinson’s Control Therapy acts on Parkinson’s symptoms by delivering mild electrical stimulation to the brain. It involves the surgical implantation of a lead, a thin insulated wire with four electrodes at the tip, deep within the brain’s structures.

Connected to a neurostimulator by an extension wire, the lead produces electrical pulses to stimulate an area of the brain called the thalamus where dopamine, an essential chemical for controlling normal movement and muscle function, is located.

Without normal amounts of dopamine, the motor circuit slows down and this is when the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease occur.

Like patients who undergo any surgical procedure, patients who undergo the Activa Parkinson’s Control Therapy need to be physically fit and strictly follow recuperative directions.

The implant procedure of the Activa Parkinson’s Control Therapy also involves the use of sophisticated imaging equipment like computed tomography (CT) scans and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machines as well as a test period of stimulation to ensure that the lead is correctly placed.

Patients with significant cognitive decline or dementia are not typically considered for Activa Therapy implant surgery.

The safety and effectiveness of the therapy has not also been established for patients with neurological disease origins other than idiopathic Parkinson’s disease, previous surgical ablation procedure, dementia, coagulopathies, and moderate to severe depression, patients under the age of 18 and over the age of 75, and those who are pregnant.

The Activa Parkinson’s Control Therapy was first introduced in Europe, Canada and Australia in 1995 where it gained immediate prominence due to its successful treatment of Parkinson’s disease symptoms in thousands of patients.

It was introduced in the United States in 1997 where thousands of patients have also benefited from it.

For more information about the Activa Control Therapy, call the Philippine Movement Disorder Surgery Center at (632) 726-0776 or 727-7653 (fax).