A surgical technique minimizes Parkinson's symptoms in more than 350 patients
Photo: From left to right, Higinio Almagro Castro, Territorial Delegate for Equality, Health and Social Policies, Manuel Bayona García, Managing Director of the Granada Hospital Complex, and Adolfo Mínguez Castellanos, coordinator of the ibs area of systemic, cardiovascular and neurological diseases. GRANADA and leader of the Clinical Neurosciences group
A surgery consisting of accessing certain areas of the brain that have "anomalous" activity has allowed more than 350 Andalusian patients to minimize the symptoms of Parkinson's since 1995.
The surgical technique accesses an area of the brain called the "subthalamic nucleus" in which one or two electrodes are implanted, which are then connected to an electrical current generator that is placed under the skin of the abdomen.
Every year, at the Virgen de las Nieves Hospital, belonging to this Andalusian health complex, around twenty new patients are intervened, the Ministry of Health highlighted today.
This surgical treatment does not eradicate the pathology or its progression, but rather minimizes involuntary movements and their slowness, rigidity and tremor, thus allowing to improve the quality of life.
Since 1995 Granada has been a benchmark in care and research in this pathology and, currently, it has one of the six Multidisciplinary units accredited by the National Health System throughout Spain for neurosurgical treatment, the so-called deep brain stimulation.
In this way, it receives patients from different provinces of Andalusia and neighboring autonomous communities.
It has also developed, in collaboration with other groups, pioneering lines of research in cell therapy and biomarkers for early diagnosis.
Parkinson's is the second most common neurodegenerative disease, after Alzheimer's disease, and is currently a major health problem due to its frequency and socio-health impact.
Its main symptoms are slowness and difficulty of movements, rigidity, tremor and alterations in posture and gait.
Although there is still no treatment capable of preventing or stopping the neurodegenerative process, in recent decades new medical and surgical strategies have been developed, which have greatly improved the control of the symptoms of the disease and the quality of life of those affected.