Functional Neurosurgery Services:
Dr. Ammar Anwer’s goal of functional neurosurgery is to restore neuronal health and function. He utilizes several treatments to treat chronic neurological illnesses, including highly targeted neuromodulation and deep brain stimulation.
Deep Brain Stimulation:
Deep brain stimulation (DBS) works by targeted stimulation of the diseased brain. Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is a neurosurgical operation that employs electrical stimulation and implanted electrodes to treat movement disorders such as Parkinson’s disease, essential tremor, dystonia, epilepsy and other neurological illnesses. When drugs are no longer effective or their adverse effects interfere with a person’s everyday activities, Dr. Ammar Anwer utilize DBS to treat movement disorders or neuropsychiatric diseases.
For those with Parkinson’s disease, DBS can reduce tremors and significantly improve slowness and stiffness; and make tremors disappear for those with essential tremors. DBS can help relax muscles and improve abnormal postures caused by muscle contractions for those with dystonia. For epileptic patients, DBS can reduce medicine and offer 90-95% seizure control in patients with medically refractory epilepsy. In all cases, DBS can help enhance quality of life. Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is an elective surgical procedure in which electrodes are implanted into certain brain areas. These electrodes, or leads, generate electrical impulses that control abnormal brain activity. The electrical impulses can also adjust for the chemical imbalances within the brain that cause various conditions. Stimulation of brain areas is controlled by a programmable generator that is placed under the skin in the upper chest.
Currently, Dr Ammar Anwer is offering Deep brain stimulation for following indications at Alrazi Healthcare MM Alam Road Lahore, Pakistan.
- Parkinson’s Disease
- Essential Tremors
- Dystonia
- Cervical Dystonia
- Vocal dystonia
- Writer’s cramp and other Task specific Dystonias
- Generalized Dystonia
- Meig’s Syndrome Oral and Facial spasm
- Epilepsy
- Coma
- Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)
- Tourette’s Syndrome
- Major Depression
- Alzheimer’s disease
- Huntington’s Chorea
Advantages of Deep Brain Stimulation
- Can be performed on one or both sides of the brain, depending on symptoms.
- The effects are reversible and can be customized individually for each patient’s clinical status.
- Stimulation settings can be modified to diminish potential side effects and improve effectiveness over time.
- The device can provide continuous symptom control 24 hours a day.
- Patients who have undergone DBS can participate in other treatments, such as stem cell or gene therapy, when they become available.
Complications
- Misplacement of leads
- Bleeding in the brain
- Stroke
- Infection
- Breathing problems
- Nausea
- Heart problems
- Seizure
- Seizure
- Infection
- Headache
- Confusion
- Difficulty concentrating
- Stroke
- Hardware complications, such as an eroded lead wire
- Temporary pain and swelling at the implantation site
Frequently Asked Questions about Deep Brain Stimulation
When is a good time to consider DBS?
There are somewhat different criteria for determining if DBS is a good option for you based on your diagnosis and condition. For Parkinson’s disease, DBS is typically helpful if you experience motor fluctuations or tremors that interfere with activities that are not already adequately managed by medication, are not improved by changes in medication, or you experience side effects that prevent you from taking higher doses. For essential tremor, DBS may be considered if you have tremors that interfere with your quality of life and cannot be controlled adequately with medications. Other key factors considered are age in combination with general health, a solid support system of family and friends, absence of dementia or an active psychiatric illness such as severe depression, and realistic expectations for treatment outcomes. For dystonia and epilepsy, DBS is advised when the symptoms are no longer manageable with medications.
In appropriate candidate, Deep Brain Stimulation is a life changing treatment.
How often will I need programming?
Immediately after Deep Brain Stimulation, your implantable pulse generator (IPG) will require programming for 3-4 times. Once your base line programming is done, you will be provided with patient’s programmer and will be able to program it your self.
Which IPG systems are available in Pakistan?
- Medtronic Activa
- St Judes Infinity
Complications:
- Problems with thinking
- Cognitive issues (dementia) and have trouble thinking
- Depression and emotional shifts
- Problems with swallowing
- Problems with chewing and eating
- Difficulties with sleep and sleep disorders
- Problems with the Bladder
- Constipation