Hmmm... DBS might be invasive, but at least it can be reversed and does not
fry a part of your brain...!

Nic 57/15

On Tue, Nov 3, 2009 at 8:35 AM, mschild <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

> Stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) offers a less invasive way to eliminate
> tremors
> caused by Parkinson's disease and essential tremor than deep brain
> stimulation
> (DBS) and radiofrequency (RF) treatments, and is as effective, according to
> a
> long-term study presented November 2, 2009, at the 51st Annual Meeting of
> the
> American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO).
> "The study shows that radiosurgery is an effective and safe method of
> getting
> rid of tremors caused by Parkinson's disease and essential tremor, with
> outcomes that favorably compare to both DBS and RF in tremor relief and
> risk
> of complications at seven years after treatment," Rufus Mark, M.D., an
> author
> of the study and a radiation oncologist at the Joe Arrington Cancer Center
> and
> Texas Tech University, both in Lubbock, Texas said. "In view of these long-
> term results, this non-invasive procedure should be considered a primary
> treatment option for tremors that are hard to treat."
> Parkinson's disease is a slowly progressive neurologic disease that causes
> tremors, in addition to other symptoms. Essential tremor is the most common
> of
> all movement disorders and causes uncontrollable shaking of the hands,
> head,
> and sometimes other parts of the body.
> Stereotactic radiation is a specialized type of external beam radiation
> therapy that pinpoints high doses of radiation directly on a confined area
> in a
> shorter amount of time than traditional radiation treatments. Stereotactic
> radiosurgery, or SRS, refers to a single or several stereotactic radiation
> treatments of the brain or spine. SRS is delivered by a team involving a
> radiation oncologist and a neurosurgeon. This radiation treatment is often
> called by the brand
> names of the manufacturers, including Axesse, CyberKnife, Gamma Knife,
> Novalis, Primatom, Synergy, X-Knife, TomoTherapy and Trilogy.
> Between 1991 and 2007, 183 patients underwent stereotactic radiosurgery
> thalamotomy, for hard-to-treat tremors caused by Parkinson's disease and
> essential tremors. A thalamotomy is a procedure that destroys tissue at a
> particular spot—the Ventralis Inter-Medius nucleus—on the thalamus of the
> brain which influences movement.
> With a median follow-up of seven years, 84 percent of patients had
> significant
> or complete resolution of tremors. In patients with Parkinson's disease, 83
> percent had near or complete tremor resolution, while those with essential
> tremor had 87 percent of this degree of tremor resolution.
> Source: American Society for Radiation Oncology
>
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