Parkinson's disease is a progressive neurological disorder which is characterized
by a degenerative process in a brain area called substantia
nigra. The main disorder is associated with a decrease in the amount of
dopamine. It is an important
neurotransmitter involved in the transmission of information between nerve
cells. The three main symptoms of the disease
are tremor while in a state of rest, stiffness, and slowness of movement. The
fourth sign that occurs with the progression of the disease is instability of
the posture. It is possible that
gastrointestinal disorders, blood pressure, depression, insomnia and other functional
disorders may occur. As the disease progresses, the tremor intensifies to the extent
that the patients are unable to perform their daily activities.
Parkinson's disease is considered to be among the incurable diseases. To
alleviate the symptoms, a combination of drugs, psychotherapy, physiotherapy
and neurosurgery is applied. A new revolutionary method for treating
Parkinson's disease is HIFU therapy.
Using focussed ultrasound affects a
key center deep in the brain, resulting in a stop to the tremor. The procedure is
completely non-invasive, harmless, without anesthesia while the patient is
fully conscious and the results are monitored in real time. The procedure takes
about 4 hours and requires only 2 days of hospitalization. Although at this
stage the impact of the therapy is unilateral (the dominant part is chosen),
stopping the tremor dramatically improves the patient's quality of life.
Compared to deep brain stimulation, focused ultrasound is a single
procedure, and does not require subsequent procedures/visits to replace
batteries, repair broken wires, or adjust simulator settings. It also does not
involve the collateral damage to healthy tissue or the risk of infections
associated with implanting a foreign body.
The ExAblate system manufactured by InSightec is approved in Europe for
treating tremor-dominant Parkinson's disease. The countries that apply this
method are Spain, Italy, Switzerland and Israel.
For more information
and treatment: HURSAMED
Email:
hursamed@gmail.com
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