Dear Barb Mallut,
Although I find it difficult to keep up with the Parkinson Digest anymore
I always enjoy your delightful postings. I tried to offer my comments to
ABC as per your instructions but discovered their E-mail was under
reconstruction. So I’ll share my comments here:
Dear ABC,
I want to thank you for your airing of the segment on Parkinson's Disease
last Friday night. I have been afflicted with Parkinson's Disease for the
last 16 years and do so appreciate the media keeping Parkinson's Disease
before the public eye.
There are a few minor corrections I would point out concerning your
commentary on Parkinson's Disease. There are a number of centers in the
U.S. which have been doing stim implants in the treatment of Parkinson's
Disease most notably the Univ. of Kansas, Univ. of Oregon, Loma Linda
University Medical Center to name a few. Also the surgical procedure to
which you alluded is a Pallidotomy and it can be and has been done
simultaneous bilateral (both sides at once) as well as staged bilateral
(both sides on separate occasions). Dr. Robert Iacono at Loma Linda
University Medical Center has performed well over 150 simultaneous
bilateral Pallidotomies. His results exceed what you reported on Friday as
dramatic as those results were. So if you really want a story that is
based here in the U.S. rather than in France come out to Loma Linda
University Medical Center right here in So. California.
I should know since I was the first one to have a simultaneous
bilateral Pallidotomy in Dec. 1993 and the results were spectacular and
continue to be amazing three and a half years later. Prime Time did a
feature on the operation at Loma Linda University Medical Center in March
1994.
One last point is that having a Pallidotomy does not preclude one
from having any future operation should a *cure* be found. I say this as
one who had an Adrenal graft implant back in 1987.
Again thanks for your 20/20 segment.
Don Berns 49/16
