Electrodes against Parkinson’s disease will improve quality of life
Neurosurgeon at the Miguel Servet Hospital in Zaragoza, Carlos A. Fuentes Uliache, held a conference in Huesca this week to outline the the latest methods of combating the disease Parkinson’s disease.
This doctor specializes in neurosurgery, neuromodulation and deep brain stimulation (DBS) and electrical spinal cord stimulation (SCS). shared his knowledge with users of the Aragonese Parkinson’s Associationthe organizer of the conversation, and their families.
In this session, which took place in the Caja Rural auditorium, the doctor explained the medical and surgical resources available for deep brain stimulation to stop Parkinson’s disease. This, he stated, “safe therapy” from which patients can benefit which meet a number of requirements.
The Miguel Servet Hospital carries out an intervention that allows restore patients’ quality of life who suffers from this disease. This method involves placing electrodes in the brain. It is non-invasive and does not entail serious complications.
The operation consists of electrode placement which runs under the skin and connects to a generator that runs under the collarbone, like a pacemaker. This device emits an electrical signal that modulates the activity of the corresponding brain nucleus.
The criteria for this intervention are fully documented, the expert said. It is designed for patients diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease with certain years of evolution who responded very well to medical treatment.
“People must understand that the first treatment for a disease is medication, then there will always be many previous treatments and, above all, psychological support and others aimed at the family– the doctor pointed out.
Therapy to combat Parkinson’s disease has undergone significant changes. “In 2002, operations began at the Miguel Servet Hospital, and about two cases were operated on every year,” he said.
The surgical technique, stereotaxy, which is a centered frame with precise coordinates, remains the same, but everything has gotten better. “It’s a very safe and very precise technique.”he stated.
In particular, the procedure of functional neurosurgery and stereotaxy can control the symptoms of involuntary movements and seizures in patients with Parkinson’s disease.
Carlos A. Fuentes commented in this sense that electrodes are being implemented exponentially and that everything has advanced.
In this type of therapy, he notes, “the focus is not on the doctor, but on the patient, which sounds very good, but that’s the reality.”
In addition, he stated that the Miguel Servet Hospital has highly qualified multidisciplinary team. “The fact that I show my face seems very pleasant to me, and I don’t care, but we are several professionals, the neurologists at the Miguel Servet Hospital are prestigious, recommendable, and we also have colleagues in psychosomatics, psychology, people who support . We are a team.” Added to this are the operating room and nursing staff… “Treatment is very important because implanted devices tend to become infected if they don’t heal well,” he noted.
Over the past 20 years, Parkinson’s incidence increased by more than 80%. More than 160,000 people suffer from it in Spain, and 5,500 in Aragon.
Dr. Carlos A. Fuentes estimates that it is not that there are more and more cases of Parkinson’s disease in the Community, but that more and better diagnoses are being made. “The moment of identifying cases of the disease is important. because typical Parkinson’s disease, diagnosed late, can get to the point where it can no longer be operated on,” he said.