a new implant for a patient to improve his symptoms

This is a personalized therapy delivered using a small device similar to a pacemaker.

“With this patient-specific brain data, we can personalize therapy to suit each patient’s changing needs.”

Parkinson’s disease It is the second most common neurodegenerative disease in Spain after Alzheimer’s disease, and in our country it affects about 300,000 people. For years, the scientific community has not stopped exploring alternatives to improve the condition of these patients, as this week’s study demonstrated Hospital Universitario la Fe de Valencia, having successfully implemented The first device with a new deep brain stimulation system, known as “DBS”, after the English acronym (“deep brain simulation”), which helps improve symptoms of Parkinson’s disease such as essential tremor, primary dystonia (involuntary movements) and epilepsy.

PatientA 57-year-old woman with severe symptoms such as muscle stiffness, slowness of movement and balance disorders. As the regional government has highlighted, this new DBS implant represents a “significant improvement” in the treatment of patients with Parkinson’s disease.

This is a personalized therapy delivered using a small device. looks like a pacemaker is placed under the skin of the chest or abdomen and sends electrical signals through very thin wires to a specific area of ​​the brain.

Specialist in the neurosurgical service of La Fe Hospital, Antonio Gutierrez, emphasized that with this device doctors can “track brain signals and relate them to actions or experiences recorded by the patient, such as symptoms, side effects or medications.

“With this patient-specific brain data, we can personalize therapy according to the changing needs of each patient, thereby offering a better quality of life,” he emphasized.

Two hours of intervention

The intervention, which lasted two hours, was carried out by the group 20 medical workers, including specialists, surgeons, anesthesiologists and nursing staff. This is a multidisciplinary team led by the Movement Disorders Unit at La Fe Hospital and the Neurosurgery and Neurology services.

According to Dr. Gutierrez, this new technology “opens up the possibility of specific autonomic stimulation for each patient.” The implantation of the device was made possible thanks to the practice of a team of professionals who implemented this technique, with experience of more than 500 patients operated on using brain stimulation devices.

Complex treatment in Valencia

Movement Disorders Unit at La Fe Hospital It was created in 2009 for the comprehensive treatment of patients with this type of pathology, especially Parkinson’s disease, dystonia and tremor, who can benefit from deep brain stimulation.

This multidisciplinary unit is made up of health services specialists. Neurology, neurosurgery, neurophysiology, radiology, psychiatry, rehabilitation and anesthesiologygiven that the approach to surgical patients requires collaboration between different specialties and, in addition, favors a “global response” to these patients.

About 3,500 consultations for movement disorders are carried out here annually, of which 800 corresponds patients with progressive Parkinson’s disease. In addition, the department implants about 15 continuous drug delivery devices every year and performs just over 40 deep brain stimulation interventions, La Fe manager José Luis Poveda detailed.

Parkinson’s disease: 1.2 million people in Europe

Parkinson’s disease is a neurodegenerative disease that affects the central nervous system. It affects more than 1.2 million people in Europe. already more than 10 million people around the world. It is the “most common” neurodegenerative disease after Alzheimer’s disease.

Symptoms include tremors, slowness of movement, muscle stiffness and difficulty maintaining balance. In turn, dystonia is characterized by involuntary muscle contractions that lead to abnormal postures or repetitive movements Essential tremor is a nervous system disorder that causes rhythmic tremors in a part of the body, most commonly the arms, although it can also affect the head, voice, arms or legs.

What causes the disease?

The causes of this disease are unknown. It is known that some poisons such as mold toxins and synthetic drugs, may result in some cases or variations of this problem.

In addition, there appear to be some genes whose damage can cause Parkinson’s disease. In this sense, another problem such as extensive brain damage can cause the symptoms of this disease.

Likewise, although the disease is not usually hereditary, it is likely that there are several genes that predispose a person to developing it. In fact, some studies show that several families have a hereditary form of Parkinson’s disease. They also environmental factors may affect their development.

In short, recent research suggests a possible multicausality.

Symptoms

There are some early symptoms that can help us recognize the disease. They can be divided into motor and non-motor:

Motor symptoms related to movement:
Tremor of the limb at rest.
Slowness of movements (bradykinesia).
Stiffness (rigidity, increased resistance to passive movement) of the limbs or trunk.—
Poor balance (postural instability).
Non-motor symptoms that affect the mind more than the body:
Depression and anxiety.
Cognitive changes.
Sleep disorders.
Sensory changes and pain. For example: anosmia (loss or decrease in sense of smell), tingling…
Disorders of autonomic function (constipation…).

As we can see, there are many symptoms that a person suffering from Parkinson’s disease may suffer from, so it is important to be alert and if we detect any of these signs, we should inform the neurologist. A person with Parkinson’s disease does not necessarily have to suffer from all of the early signs described above, as the disease does not affect everyone the same.

How does this manifest itself?

Within the framework of this general symptomatology, we can say that the initial symptoms of Parkinson’s disease are:

Bradykinesia or slowness of movement.
At least one of the following:
Rigidity.
Rest tremor.
Postural instability.
Absence of another neurological process.
Supporting data.
Unilateral onset: on one side of the body only.
Rest tremor.
Progressive course: gradually increases.
Persistent asymmetry: the side of the body on which the disease began is most affected.
Good response to L-dopa (specific treatment for Parkinson’s disease).