Chandigarh
25 May 2018
DIVYA AZAD
As the aging population in Indian subcontinent is increasing , the incidence of degenerative neurological disorders will increase further over next few yrs. PD is unique in a way that it affects all the races and cultures across the globe.
It is estimated that 6.3 million people suffer from PD world wide. The WHO gives an” estimated crude prevalence”(the total number of existent cases each yr , old and new) of 160/100000 and an estimated incidence(new cases each yr) of 16/100000.
What is PD
PD tends to affect more men then women. The prevelance is higher in aged above 60. But we are seeing a lot of younger patients getting affected by PD. The most common form affects males around 50 yrs of age but juvenile PD affects at 20-25 yrs. It is estimated that 1% population above 60 yrs and 4% population above 80yrs develops PD in some or the other form.
Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is real time image guided procedure in which the electrodes are implanted in brain which delivers pulsed electrical waves to control abnormal movements of the body.
What is DBS
In Neurosurgery department at MAYO healthcare Dr Deepak Tyagi is using microelectrode recordings from the Deep brain areas to map the the brain structures which cause abnormal body movements.
Although DBS is FDA approved therapy for PD in USA for a long time. This novel therapy is available in this part of country for the first time. The DBS in simple language is pacemaker for brain which controls abnormal body moments or normalises body posture and response. The device can be remote controlled from outside and various stimulation modes can be used according to patient needs.
Our team (Dr Deepak Tyagi and Dr anupam jindal) has used this device in five such patients with excellent results and without any complication. Our team has done 20 cases of pallidotomy ( a form of RFL lesioning with good results in the past)
DBS has proved to a useful tool in the management of PD which were not getting controlled on medications.
Mayo Neurology department announced that the procedure will be available free of cost for deserving poor and needy senior citizens
