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Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) can help treat neurodegenerative diseases including essential tremor, Parkinson disease, and dystonia. It may alleviate symptoms when medicine fails. After careful screening, this therapy can lead to a significant and lasting improvement in quality of life.
Ochsner Health is proud to have the busiest, longest-running deep brain stimulation program in the region. Our experienced, multidisciplinary team brings together neurologists, neurosurgeons, psychiatrists, neurophysiologists, social workers, nurses, and medical assistants who are dedicated to helping patients achieve the best possible outcome.
Our team will:
There are certain symptoms that can be alleviated with DBS, which include:
Certain tremors can severely affect your quality of life. Writing, eating, and other hobbies that require fine motor control can be severely affected by tremors. DBS can often dramatically improve medication-resistant tremor.
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No two Parkinson’s patients are alike, your multidisciplinary team can help guide your decision on the optimal DBS target (what part of the brain we aim to stimulate). The typical targets in PD are STN, GPi and sometimes VIM.
Typically, a patient will come in on Tuesday morning for DBS surgery. The patient will be awake for a portion of the surgery to ensure good improvement in symptoms. Patients typically stay overnight and go home the next day. The DBS battery pack will be placed in the chest on a separate visit and connected to the DBS leads.
A few weeks after surgery, the neurologist will turn the DBS on and program it. Patients receive a remote control, allowing them to turn their system on and off at home.
To make an appointment, call 504-842-3980 or go to MyOchsner. We also offer second opinions.
As your neurodegenerative disease changes over time, your physician can adapt your therapy to best suit your needs.
DBS delivers a very small current of energy to parts of the brain for symptomatic treatment. Unlike medications, which provide benefits that come and go throughout a given day, DBS provides constant, even therapy, which can alleviate symptoms around the clock. Equipment required for DBS therapy include either one or two DBS leads (wires) placed by the neurosurgeon and a battery pack, which is typically placed in the chest region, similar to a cardiac pacemaker.
DBS has not been shown to stop or slow the disease progression of any neurodegenerative disease. DBS does not help and may even worsen patients with diseases such as MSA (multiple systems atrophy), PSP (progressive supranuclear palsy), LBD (Lewy body dementia) or other “Parkinson’s plus” disorders.
Over 700 clinical trials are being conducted at Ochsner.
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