Sanjay Gandhi Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences, the state capital’s premier healthcare facility, will soon start deep brain stimulation surgery, a minimally invasive neurosurgical procedure of implanting a brain pacemaker which will bring relief to patients suffering from Parkinson’s disease.

The brain pacemaker is a medical device, also known as a neurostimulator, implanted in the brain to stimulate nervous tissue by directing electrical impulses through its electrodes to specific targets in brain for treatment of movement disorders, which includes Parkinson’s disease, essential tremors, and dystonia.

Prof Sanjay Behari, head of neurosurgery department, said that the surgery will be a blessing for patients from UP, MP, Bihar and Nepal who travel to New Delhi or Kolkata. The surgery will also improve quality of life of people suffering from dystonia, Tourette syndrome, epilepsy and obsessive compulsive disorder.

Doctors of SGPGI’s neurosciences wing will be mentored by neurologist Dr Vinay Goel and neurosurgeon Dr Man Mohan Singh from AIIMS, New Delhi, neurologist Dr D C M Prasad and neurosurgeon Dr Ramesh Chandra VV of Sri Venkateshwara Institute of Medical Sciences, Tirupati, and Dr Krishna Kumar from Sri Chitra Institute of Medical Sciences in the initial introduction of the procedure. On Saturday, the mentors addressed the continuing medical education programme hosted by SGPGI in the campus.

Prof Goel said that Parkinson’s disease is a rising problem in the country. About 0.1% of population could be sufferers of Parkinson’s disease, but the problem is managed to increase significantly with improved life expectancy, better access to medical care, increased awareness and stressed living. Over 25% of all Parkinson’s patients in India are below 40 years of age, which is the maximum productive time of life. In this scenario, surgery is needed.

Dr Ruchika Tandon, SGPGI, said that as per estimates, every month at least 30 patients of Parkinson’s disease come to SGPGI OPD. Almost 80% of these patients come in middle to late stages when surgery can be a good option.

Dr Arun Kumar of neurosurgery department, said that the human brain is a complicated structure and a number of medical conditions, such as Parkinson’s disease develop from deviations in deeper sections of the brain, which cannot be managed with basic surgical interventions. This surgical procedure involves accessing the affected part of the brain and implanting a brain pacemaker somewhere close to the front shoulder bones.

Dr Kuntal Kanti Das and Dr Pavan Verma, highlighted the differences between cardiac and brain pacemakers saying that the two devices work differently. While the cardiac pacemaker regulates the rhythm of heart, the one used for the brain stimulates section of the brain to restore a function. In Parkinson’s, the brain pacemaker can help in examining problems like slowness, tremors, stiffness and loss of balance when standing or sitting.

Dr, Verma further said that in case of early diagnosis, patients are put on medication. If diagnosed late then the degree of the disease and the medicine dosage increase eventually. But the side effects, that are common with continued medication, do not allow to increase the medicines which thus makes surgery a very feasible option.