Movement Disorders

The goal of surgical treatment of movement disorders is to improve quality of life. When severe cases of conditions such as Parkinson’s Disease, dystonia and essential tremor have not responded to medication, deep brain stimulation may be an option. Of course, not all movement disorders are right for surgery.

This established therapy has been helping people around the world for many years. Among the benefits reported by patients who use DBS along with medication to control their symptoms:

• Expands the window of symptom-free time each day
• Reduces the amount of medication required for symptom control
• Stimulator is adjusted to the needs of the patient
• Surgery is reversible, leaving alternative options open

In addition to reviewing possible benefits with your physician, please make sure you understand possible risks as well.

Using a surgically placed medical device, DBS therapy is used to deliver electrical stimulation to precisely targeted areas within the brain. The technique involves the surgical insertion of tiny electrodes deep into the basal ganglia region of the brain. A hair-thin wire is implanted in the thalamus and connected to a neurostimulator (similar to a cardiac pacemaker) implanted under the collarbone. This device sends electrical impulses along the wire to the thalamus, interrupting signals that cause tremor. Patients who undergo the surgery are given a controller, which allows them to check the battery and to turn the device off.

Movement disorders are progressive neurological diseases that can interfere with movement, speech, and other body functions.

Robotic Spine Surgery

Lyerly neurosurgeons are highly experienced with a wide variety of minimally invasive and reconstructive surgical treatment options, and are often the first to introduce new technologies such as robotic-assisted spine surgery to our region.