SUBMITTED NEWS RELEASE
Program Benefits Parkinson’s Disease and Essential Tremor Patients
Parkinson’s disease and essential tremor patients in northern Nevada have a new treatment option available to them through the Renown Institute for Neuroscience’s called Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS). Renown is the only hospital in northern Nevada currently offering DBS.
Deep brain stimulation safely and effectively manages some of the most disabling motor symptoms of Parkinson’s disease and essential tremor. The procedure enables people with some movement disorders and related symptoms to have greater control over their movements, allowing them to have more freedom to live and work.
DBS uses a surgically implanted medical device, similar to a cardiac pacemaker, to deliver carefully controlled electrical stimulation to precisely targeted areas in the brain. It works by electrically stimulating specific areas that control movement and muscle function. Leads are surgically implanted in the brain and connected to one or more neurostimulators implanted near the collarbone. The neurostimulator contains a small battery and computer chip programmed to send electrical pulses to control symptoms. Stimulation may be programmed and adjusted non-invasively by the clinician to help maximize symptom control and minimize side effects.
At Renown Institute for Neurosciences, teams of highly trained specialists in neurology and neurosurgery work together to provide patients with individualized care. Hilari Fleming, M.D., PhD, of Sierra Neurosurgery Group and Paul Katz, M.D., medical director of Renown Institute for Neurosciences, oversee the DBS program. Both physicians, along with an inter-disciplinary team, work with patients to ensure DBS is the correct treatment option.
“Deep Brain Stimulation improves our ability to treat patients with disabling motor symptoms and provide them with longer and sustained relief,” said Dr. Katz.
“The ability to be treated within our community makes this available to many more patients,” said Dr. Fleming. “It is very gratifying to the see the quality of life improvement this technology can provide.”
For more information about Deep Brain Stimulation at Renown Institute for Neurosciences visit www.renown.org/neuro.
