DBS Surgery

We’ve included only a photo sampling of the DBS Tour on this page, but if you’re interested in browsing it in its entirety, click here to start at the beginning. We encourage you to read the Personal Accounts of Beka’s Journey with DBS on the Wego Health Dystonia Ed Forum. She will take you through each phase of the surgery: before, middle, end and aftermath. We also encourage you to download the valuable document, Top 55 Questions to ask about DBS before embarking on this procedure. It has been reviewed by Medtronic, Inc. staff.

(Source: Michael Paras Photography ©)

“The Beginning is the most important part of the Work.”

Guide to Deep Brain Stimulation

Guide authored by Dr. Blair Ford, MD Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center in NYC. Great layout and informative about the operative phases of DBS. Guide to Deep Brain Stimulation.

What you should know about DBS

Guide to Questions that you should ask and have answers to before moving ahead with Deep Brain Stimulation. Detailed questions cover all phases of DBS including the actual procedure and programming.

Top 55 Questions to ask about DBS

Deep Brain Stimulation
Activa Therapy from Medtronic is one of the most significant and innovative advances in the treatment of neurological movement disorders in decades. The treatment uses a surgically implanted medical device, similar to a cardiac pacemaker, to deliver carefully controlled electrical stimulation to precisely targeted areas within the brain.

We urge that you and your family explore all avenues of dystonia care prior to choosing DBS. The procedure has its successes but is not without pitfalls. Educate yourself about DBS before embarking on this new journey.

Please visit the website : www.parasphotography.com/beka.html for the start of your DBS Tour. Some photos may be too graphic for children (and some adults), but they represent the procedure called DBS in a realistic photo-essay manner.
The Activa Therapy or DBS System consists of 3 parts :

  • Lead: The lead consists of four thin coiled insulated wires with four electrodes at the lead tip. The lead tip is implanted in the brain.
  • Extension: The lead is connected to an extension, consisting of four insulated coiled wires; the extension is threaded under the skin from the head, down the neck and into the upper chest.
  • Neurostimulator or IPG: The extension is connected to a neurostimulator, a small, sealed device similar to a cardiac pacemaker that contains a battery and electronics. The neurostimulator is implanted beneath the skin in the chest below the collarbone. Sometimes called a brain pacemaker, it produces the electrical pulses needed for stimulation. These electrical pulses are delivered through the extension and through the lead to the targeted areas in the brain. These pulses can be adjusted noninvasively by a clinician with the programmer, which uses radio telemetry to check or change the neurostimulator­s settings.

    • (Source: Medtronic)

    Resources:
    www.rewiredforlife.org
    www.yahoo.com/groups/ DBSSurgery
    http://www.parkinsonappeal.org  in the United Kingdom, based in Queen’s Square, London.

    http://www.activadbs.com/ offers a newsletter by Medtronic, Inc.

    http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8292305/

    http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8335651/

    NBC’s Robert Bazell reports on “The Future of Medicine : Brain Stimulation shows promise ” Nightly News June 2005
    Portraits in Determination Show Baltimore, Maryland
    July 2005 : View the video online about Cervical Dystonia and its’ impact on the personal lives of two individuals.

    New Videos :

    Risks of DBS include:

  • Stroke
  • Brain bleeding or hemorrhage
  • Infection
  • Device failure
  • Seizures
  • Death

    • (Source: www.medtronic.com )

    Bekas’ Journey :

    1. Part 1 ( The 1st Year )
    2. Part 2 ( Years 1-2 )
    3. Part 3 ( Year 3 ) Online at our Wego Dystonia Ed Forum
    4. Part 4 ( Years 4 -5 ) Undergoing Editing

    Additional information about DBS has been compiled by Okun, Hernandez and Foote from the University in Florida in Gainesville via these links :

    Should Patients See a Movement Disorders Neurologist?
    http://mdc.mbi.ufl.edu/candidate/candidate-MDneurologist.htm

    The Need for Well Trained Interdisciplinary Teams
    http://mdc.mbi.ufl.edu/candidate/candidate-allcenters.htm

    How Do We Accomplish Large Population Screening?
    http://mdc.mbi.ufl.edu/candidate/candidate-largepop.htm

    What Kind of Commitment Does DBS Require?
    http://mdc.mbi.ufl.edu/candidate/candidate-commitment.htm

    What are the Risks of Deep Brain Stimulation?
    http://mdc.mbi.ufl.edu/candidate/candidate-risks.htm

    What is Deep Brain Stimulation?
    http://mdc.mbi.ufl.edu/candidate/candidate-whatisdbs.htm

    What is the Future for Deep Brain Stimulation?
    http://mdc.mbi.ufl.edu/candidate/candidate-future.htm

    Who is a Candidate for DBS Surgery?
    http://mdc.mbi.ufl.edu/candidate/candidate-whois.htm

    Why Does Deep Brain Stimulation Work?
    http://mdc.mbi.ufl.edu/candidate/candidate-risks.htm

    Why Everyone is Not a Candidate?
    http://mdc.mbi.ufl.edu/candidate/candidate-largepop.htm

    Beka’s Story with Dystonia and DBS has been featured in multiple media forums. A complete listing of Care4Dystonia’s media activities can be found by clicking our Media List 1998-2006 .

    A shortened version of her story can be read here. http://community.nursingspectrum.com/MagazineArticles/article.cfm?AID=2169

    Other DBS- Stimulation  Companies :

    www.neuropace.com

    • RNS Neurostimultor for Epilepsy

    www.ans-medical.com

    Data Supporting Deep Brain Stimulation in Dystonia Links :

    Outcomes: DBS has only recently been used to treat dystonia, and thus efficacy and outcome data are relatively limited and continue to evolve. Only approximately 1,000 people with dystonia have undergone DBS in the entire world.

    Copyright 2004-5 MP. All Rights Reserved. c4d. 2009-10.