I have come across a number of patients who have had
DBS (deep brain stimulation) and the procedure has been a success.
Unfortunately there are some cases which generally one does not hear about, that are not completely
effective. Speaking recently with two ladies, both of whom have undergone DBS, experience
great difficulty in walking and speaking, despite going through this very
invasive procedure. I found it curious that no official body or doctor knew or
would talk about the cases deemed unsuccessful. Is it a matter of not every
Parkinson's patient being a good candidate for DBS? Is it down to diverse techniques
in different countries? Or is it just statistics, like with any operation,
there are a number of unexplained cases that for some reason end unsuccessfully?
It was brought
to my attention that The National Parkinson Foundation has produced a comprehensive publication, and whilst reading through it, I found for the first time, the
issue revealing that DBS is not for every patient and I quote:
"Unfortunately, most people with PD
are not good candidates for DBS because many of the symptoms of advanced PD do not
respond to this treatment."
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