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Hi List members, this article was in this mornings Chattanooga paper. Is this procedure a viable option for some PWP's, is it known about in the PD comunity? Tremor Relief Through Radiosurgery Simple Procedure Enables Parkinson's Patient To Do Simple Tasks By Nancy Carney Staff Writer For at least two years, Otto Neuhaus of Eton, Ga., knew he must have Parkinson's Disease, but he did nothing about it. "I just didn't want to hear those words," he explained. "That's why I put off going to the doctor for so long." But last year, his self-diagnosis was confirmed by a neurosurgeon, who recommended brain surgery to treat the severe right-hand tremor that prevented Mr. Neuhaus, 68, from tying his shoes or buttoning his shirt. Reluctant to undergo a 10-hour operation, he was mulling things over when he learned about another option -- radiosurgery with a Gamma Knife, a noninvasive procedure performed on an out-patient basis. His hopes were not high, however. "It was beyond my wildest dreams that anything could make me stop shaking so bad," Mr. Neuhaus said, while sitting quietly and almost tremor-free on a sofa in his home. 'There is no doubt in my mind that the Gamma Knife is a miracle for people like me. It still amazes me that doctors can reach your brain without cutting anything." The technology is not new. Developed in Sweden, the Gamma Knife is supported by 30 years of well-documented research, evaluation and clinical use, according to Dr. Michael Louis Goodman of Piedmont Medical Center in Atlanta. The specialist and his associates have completed more than 1,200 procedures since radiosurgery was first offered at the hospital 10 years ago. Piedmont's Gamma Knife, the only one in Georgia, is also used to target tumors and vascular malformations. There is no "knife," Dr. Goodman explained. Instead, sharply focused gamma radiation does the same thing conventional surgery does -- selectively destroy an abnormal area in the brain. "In Parkinson's patients, the thalamus, an important switching area, does not work properly," the neurosurgeon said. 'By damaging part of this complex circuit, it is possible to permanently provide relief from a debilitating tremor 85 percent of the time." He emphasized that there is no cure for Parkinson's, a neurological disorder that affects 170 out of every 100,000 people, including television/movie star, Michael J. Fox, whose tremor was treated through invasive surgery. "All anyone can do is provide relief from symptoms -- primarily tremor or abnormal movements associated with long-term drug treatment," Dr. Goodman said. "A big advantage of noninvasive surgery is that the problems of infection and hemorrhage are eliminated when there is no incision. With the Gamma Knife, our complication rate is well under 1 percent." Mr. Neuhaus remembers being awake, but sedated, throughout his operation, which was completely covered by Medicare and his medi-gap policy. After his head was positioned in a helmet-like device, an MRI scan was used to map the treatment site and plan the procedure. Guided by a sophisticated computer program, the Gamma Knife then focused 201 beams of radiation on the targeted area of his brain. "I had a swollen face the day of surgery, and a headache the next day," Mr. Neuhaus revealed. "The day after that, my headache was gone, and so was my tremor. That seemed too good to be true, but it was." Mr. Neuhaus' wife of 15 years, Linda, feels the same way. "At first I was apprehensive about my husband going home the same day he had surgery," she said. "Three days later, my primary emotion was one of astonishment. I walked in the kitchen to cut the meat on Otto's dinner plate, and he was doing it himself. "Dr. Goodman told us it might take six weeks to see any noticeable improvement, but the change in Otto was dramatic within a week. Since his surgery in April, I've called him 'my tough old Swiss cheese.' " A native of Switzerland and a naturalized American citizen, Mr. Neuhaus was an international banker when he decided to leave that stressful job and pursue an old dream. "Because I had such fond memories of visiting my uncle's farm as a child, I wanted to set up a poultry/cattle operation of my own," he said. "I looked at property in Europe and America for years before an Atlanta Realtor found a farm for me in North Georgia 20 years ago." According to Mr. Neuhaus, medication provides tremor relief for many Parkinson's patients. Since that first-line treatment did not work for him, he could not be more enthusiastic about the Gamma Knife. Lanier Maddux 64/3 Chattanooga Tn Part 2 to follow