First surgery to alleviate Parkinson’s done in RP

Backed by one of the most modern medical technologies today, eight Filipino doctors from the Philippine Movement Disorder Surgery (PhilMove) team of the Cardinal Santos Medical Center are the first in the Philippines to have successfully conducted surgery to help a patient suffering from Parkinson’s disease.

This breakthrough in Philippine medical history used Activa Parkinson’s Control Therapy, a world-renowned procedure which involves the implantation of a Deep-Brain Stimulation (DBS) device to control the symptoms of the debilitating disease. Prior to its introduction in the country last year, Filipinos had to go overseas to undergo the procedure.

DBS surgery is best done by a movement disorder surgery team working together to ensure the effectiveness and safety of the Activa System implantation procedure.

The members of the Philippine Movement Disorder Surgery team were neurosurgeons Dr. Jose Aguilar and Dr. Theodor Vesagas; neurologists Dr. Roland Dominic Jamora and Dr. Rosalia Teleg; neuroanesthesiologists Dr. Jose Antonio Evidente and Dr. Monserrat Velasquez; neuropsychiatrist Dr. Joseph Anlacan; neuropsychologist Dr. Lourdes Ledesma; and neurosurgical nurses Mel-Ross Caleda, R.N. and Mario Louis Bumatay, R.N.

The 68-year-old patient suffered from the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease for 15 years. "He had been experiencing severe physical disability and motor complications," says Aguilar.

The patient started to suffer from uncontrollable trembling of his left hand, followed by slowness of movement (bradykinesia) and stiffness or rigidity of muscles.

Later on, he developed complications such as freezing (patient feels glued to the ground and unable to take the next step), dyskinesias (excessive movement/ fidgetiness after taking the medications), and occasional falls.

Just before the operation, he was receiving maximal dose of medication, thus he was unable to tend to his business and was fully dependent on his wife and caregivers.

But after the DBS surgery, the patient can now perform daily activities with ease. He has regained his ability to walk, he no longer needs the assistance of a caregiver and most importantly, he has resumed helping his wife with their business.

"We are very happy with the results of the operation," says Aguilar. "You can readily observe the positive effects that the surgery did for the patient."

The Activa Parkinson’s Control Therapy is a type of DBS therapy that has been proven to significantly suppress Parkinson’s symptoms. It has already helped thousands of patients from Europe, Canada, Australia and the United States.

The Activa Parkinson’s Therapy involves the surgical implantation of an electrode deep within the brain. The electrodes are connected to a battery-operated pulse generator that is embedded underneath the skin of the chest and generates electrical currents that is delivered to the targeted area in the brain. Turning on the pulse generator alleviates the patient’s symptoms such as muscle stiffness or slowness of movement, tremor or other unnecessary movements.

This is adversely affected by the loss of dopamine-producing nucleus in the brain. Without normal amounts of dopamine, these two structures affect the motor circuit by virtually slowing it down — and thus the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease appear.

Without normal amounts of dopamine, the motor circuit slows down and results in the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease. When nerve signals in either the STN or GP are modulated by mild electrical stimulation such as that from the Activa Parkinson’s Control Therapy, the abnormal brain signals are essentially blocked and more normal movement and function are facilitated.

While no cure has been found for Parkinson’s disease, the Activa Parkinson’s Control Therapy safely and noticeably suppresses many of the primary symptoms of the disease through a mild electrical stimulation to an area of the brain called the thalamus.

The electrical impulses originate from an impulse generator implanted underneath the collar bone. The control therapy can treat bilateral symptoms with a single implanted impulse generator (Kinetra). It is also adjustable according to the patient’s needs.

For more information on the Activa Parkinson’s Control therapy, call PHILMOVE at 726-0776 or 723-7575 or e-mail at [email protected].