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I had the good fortune today to see (and tape) the HealthWeek program on PBS in which our own Jim Finn was featured. It was about two surgical procedures, Deep Brain Stimulation and Jim's Pig Cell Implants. Father Elias Velonis, whose Parkinson mask made his parishioners feel he was not listening to them, and whose freezing and festination made if difficult to do his job, said of his DBS, "It's like your life is back; now try to live it well." Dr. Mahlon DeLong of Emory University in Atlanta said the DBS, which has the same risks as any other delicate brain surgery, is wonderful because "it works for all symptoms of Parkinson's Disease." Side effects, which are permanent in pallidotomy patients, can be adjusted or eliminated in those with DBS. Jim's segment started with him telling how difficult life had become, and his decision to take part in this experimental procedure was "an act of desperation." Dr. Samuel Ellias of Boston University Medical Centre explained that the surgery was once done with human fetus cells, but anti-abortionists protested, and there was difficulty getting enough human fetuses -- about a dozen are needed for each transplantation, whereas there's an almost unlimited supply of cells from pigs. Dr. John Nutt of Oregon Health Sciences University said candidates chosen for the surgery were those who had responded well to levadopa, but whose response to medications was no longer as good, and who were having involuntary movements. The doctors cautioned that no one knows the long-term effects of either procedure. However, they also said treatment for PD is making great progress, with two new drugs introduced in 1997, and at least two more scheduled for this year. Also, new treatments are being investigated, one of which might slow the progression of Parkinson's. The other might bring back injured dopamine-producing neurons that have not yet died. There were before and after shots of Jim doing finger co-ordination exercises. His big smile in the "after" pictures was a joy to behold. Thanks, Jim, for sharing your experience with us. Judith Richards [log in to unmask]