Hello Debby H.:
Re: your inquiry about PD symptom control therapy through
electrical stimulation of the thalamus.
The Movement Disorders Center at Pennsylvania Hospital
under the supervision of Dr. Matthew Stern, M.D. is offering
this therapy for tremor control. For more information call
Pennsylvania Hospital - 215-829-3971, ask for Carson Clark.
The device for "Active Tremor Control Therapy" is
manufactured by Medtronics, Inc., Minneapolis, Minn. It is
considered a surgical technique because an electrode
(connected to a battery-powered, programmable
pacemaker-like device, implanted in the patient's chest) is
inserted into the deep brain region of the thalamus. The
thalamus is where tremors are generated.
The patient controls the stimulator (in the chest) by using a
hand-held magnet to turn the pulse on and off, or increase or
decrease the level of the stimulator, according to the severity
of tremor.
The surgery is 100% reversible when new medical advances
are found. Research is ongoing to determine the
effectiveness of this technique in controlling other PD
symptoms (bradykinesia or rigidity) by stimulating other deep
brain sites.
Information is also available from the Parkinson's Disease
Foundation, NY: 1-800-457-6676. Good luck.
Stephan 53/7
