Your Health
Tremor Sufferers Have New Treatment Option
Aired April 27, 1996 2:19 pm
KAREN MAGINNIS, Anchor: Essential tremors cause uncontrollable shaking of
the head, voice and hands. Katherine Hepburn is probably the most famous of
the estimated two million Americans who suffer from the disorder. CNN
medical correspondent Rhonda Rowland reports patients now have a way to turn
off their tremor with the wave of a magnetic wand.
RHONDA ROWLAND, Medical Correspondent: Pouring water from one cup to another
is a
humiliating experience for Stanley Klar. He has essential tremor. It keeps
him from doing so much.
STANLEY KLAR: My wife cuts my food. She butters my bread. She has to put
straws in any
liquid that I drink. It's embarassing.
RHONDA ROWLAND: Stanley first noticed the shaking as a teenager, but it
didn't become
debilitating until he retired several years ago. He's tried medications.
Mrs. KLAR: But they worked for a while, and then they stopped working, so-
STANLEY KLAR: Well, they didn't work at all.
Mrs. KLAR: Right. Yeah.
RHONDA ROWLAND: Stanley has been offered another option that may relieve his
tremors. A device called a thalamic stimulator can be placed in his brain,
which he can turn on and off.
Dr. DAVID CHARLES, Vanderbilt University: Thalamic stimulation gives the
patient the control over a certain area of their brain that's causing a
visible motor problem, this tremor that's been disabling them for years.
RHONDA ROWLAND: The device can also help some Parkinson's disease patients.
This is day before Stanley is to undergo surgery.
[interviewing] And how are you feeling about what's going to happen tomorrow?
STANLEY KLAR: I feel great. I feel great because I feel it's a positive step
RHONDA ROWLAND: What do you think will be the outcome?
STANLEY KLAR: I can just be a person, a whole person.
RHONDA ROWLAND: This is how it works - Stanley stays awake during the
procedure. It will take most of the day. Using sophisticated computer
mapping techniques, doctors locate the thalamus. This is the part of the
brain causing the tremor. Next, doctors use a wire with an electrical
impulse to find the part of the thalamus likely to provide the best tremor
control. During the process, Stanley is asked to perform tasks and talk. The
process is long and tedious and carries some risk.
Dr. DAVID CHARLES: Somewhere between one to five percent of patients could
have maybe
even devastating complications during the operation or the time around the
operation. The risks are very real.
RHONDA ROWLAND: Patients can lose the ability to speak. They may suffer
partial paralysis. Some even die.
[clip of Stanley Klar undergoing procedure and doctor asking him to repeat
specific phrase, which he does well]
RHONDA ROWLAND: Now it's late afternoon. With the correct location isolated,
the wire is run behind the ear under the skin to a pacemaker-like device in
the chest that controls the electrical stimulation. Vanderbilt University is
one of seven medical centers in the U.S. implanting the thelamic stimulator.
Even though the device won't cure tremors, it should greatly improve a
patient's day-to-day living.
It's been three weeks since Stanley had surgery. Pouring water is much
easier now.
Dr. DAVID CHARLES: Control over the tremor is not perfect, although we never
expected it to be 100 percent control.
RHONDA ROWLAND: With the wave of this magnet, Stanley turns the stimulator
on and off,
allowing it to rest at night so that he has better tremor control the next day.
STANLEY KLAR: Suddenly, you can shrug your shoulders and do what pretty much
anyone does.
RHONDA ROWLAND: The surgery is not permanent, so if there is no improvement,
the device can be removed. Although not a perfect solution, for some who
suffer from essential tremor or Parkinson's disease, the thalamic stimulator
can offer the chance of being a whole person again.
Rhonda Rowland, CNN, Nashville.
KAREN MAGINNIS: Well, here's an update for you. It's been about three months
since Stanley Klar had his surgery, and he reports his tremor control is 100
percent better. So what about some long-term prospects? Rhonda Rowland
introduces us to the first person in the U.S. to undergo the procedure for a
firsthand account.
RHONDA ROWLAND: Three years ago, the thalamic stimulator was unheard of in
the United
States, but doctors in Europe were using it, so Robert Clark traveled to
France to have the surgery. He says the results were immediate.
ROBERT CLARK: I was the happiest person in the world. It was the best thing
that's ever happened.
RHONDA ROWLAND: But he hasn't been home free.
[clip of doctor testing extent of Robert Clark's tremor with stimulator on
and then with it off; extent of tremor is the same with stimulator on and off]
RHONDA ROWLAND: Patients need periodic adjustments, almost like a car needs
tune-ups. But finally, with the thelamic stimulator, he's reaching his dream
of teaching high school.
[interviewing] How does it feel to teach the class here?
ROBERT CLARK: Exciting. I'm excited about it. It's a big step. You know,
I've thought about teaching for a while. Now I can do it.
KAREN MAGINNIS: The thalamic stimulator is still considered experimental.
It's offered to patients who no longer get relief from their tremors by
taking medications. If you want more information on this story or other CNN
news, you can find us on the World Wide Web at cnn.com, or access our site
through the AT&T Business Network.
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