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New operation can help some Parkinson's sufferers WebPosted Wed Jun 7 23:09:51 2000 http://cbc.ca/cgi-bin/templates/view.cgi?/news/2000/06/07/parkisnosn000607 TORONTO - For Peter Kingston, a brisk walk on a June day is a significant undertaking, considering he has struggled with Parkinson's disease for the last 30 years. Six years ago, in spite of medications, he was barely able to walk, and he could hardly get out of a chair. Then, he had an amazing turnaround. He had an extraordinary operation called a pallidotomy. The surgeon inserts an electrode into the patient's brain. An electrical current is used to locate then destroy a pea-sized part of the brain that causes symptoms of Parkinson's disease. The patient remains awake to help guide the surgeon through the maze of brain cells. Following his operation, Kingston literally got up off the table and moved. Doctors have reported spectacular immediate results for some time. What they haven't known - until now - is how long the benefits last. In this week's New England Journal of Medicine, Toronto researchers report the benefits of pallidotomy can last for more than five years; relieving tremors of the hands and feet and allowing people to move at more normal speed. Dr. Andres Lozano is a pioneer in Parkinson's research and one of the study's authors. Dr. Andres Lozano "The surgery has turned back the clock on their illness," he says. "They've reverted back to the stage they were in their illness five years before, where they were more independent." The surgery isn't a cure. The disease inevitably progresses. Many people have to go back on medications. And, the surgery has risks. "There are some patients, fortunately not in our hands, but in others who have died from this surgical intervention; there are patients who've had strokes and hemorrhages in the brain as a complication of this procedure," says Dr. Anthony Lang, a Toronto neurologist Peter Kingston says the risk was worth it. Thanks to the surgery, he's back to his regular job of diagnosing computer viruses - now that he's got his own diagnosis under control. On-line Learning Series of Courses http://www.bestnet.org/~jwalker/course.htm Member: Association for International Business _/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/ _/ _/ _/ John S. Walker _/ _/ Publisher, CSS Internet News (tm) _/ _/ (Internet Training and Research) _/ _/ PO Box 57247, Jackson Stn., _/ _/ Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, L8P 4X1 _/ _/ Email [log in to unmask] _/ _/ http://www.bestnet.org/~jwalker _/ _/ _/ _/ "To Teach is to touch a life forever" _/ _/ On the Web one touch can reach so far! _/ _/ _/ _/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/