A Pakistani patient with Parkinson’s was treated successfully using “Deep Brain Stimulation” (DBS), doctors at Apollo Speciality Hospital have claimed.
Mohammed Arif, (56), from Peshawar, had been diagnosed with Parkinsonianism nearly six years ago and had been on medication for the same. However, over the last one-and-a-half year severe side effects from his treatment had had a debilitating effect on him.
Fayed Arif, his son, told presspersons that his father had tremors, lost his appetite, memory, and bladder control; the drugs had given him a frozen shoulder and affected his gait. Mohammed Arif was confined to the wheelchair and his doctors in Pakistan referred their patient to Singapore or Apollo Hospitals.
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The family of the businessman preferred to come to Chennai. They landed on January 7 and a series of tests were carried out by neurologists Yogaraj and Arul Selvan, who certified him as eligible for the DBS surgery. On February 7, neuro surgeons R. Ramnarayan and Chendil Nathan performed the surgery, which lasted over 13 hours, putting in electrodes into his sub-thalamic nucleus to stimulate his brain.
The electrodes are connected to a battery-operated pulse generator, fixed under the skin in his chest. This device is programmed from the outside for optimal stimulation. A day after surgery Mr. Arif found himself 40 per cent better; and now, his wife says he feels at least 70 per cent better; his drug dosages have also come down.
“It will take between three months to one year for Mr. Arif to feel the full potential of the device. So things can only get better for him,” Dr. Ramnarayan said. The family has booked tickets to fly back home on March 1, and meanwhile, Mr. Arif, a cloth merchant, is keen on checking out the silks in the T. Nagar shopping district.
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