Revolutionary New Therapy For Essential Tremor & Advanced Parkinson’s Disease

Scott W. Soleau, M.D. is an Adult and Pediatric Neurosurgeon at The NeuroMedical Center ClinicMs. Bessie Seal and Dr. Gerald Calegan, Neurologist, at her follow-up check up after receiving her Deep Brain Stimulator, which helps to control her Essential Tremors. Ms. Seals says it has given her her life back!

Bessie Seal described how embarrassing it was that she could not even enjoy a cup of coffee without having ” roll of paper towels by her side . Diagnosed with Essential Tremor in the 1970″s, a neurological disorder characterized by uncontrollable shaking, Ms. Seal first started experiencing tremors in her right arm. Ms. Seal gradually became increasingly disabled. Her tremors progressed to a point where she had difficulty holding her hands steady enough to eat, drink, read, and write. That is, until she became aware of a revolutionary new treatment known as Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) used to help treat Essential Tremor and Parkinson”s Disease. DBS is offered at The NeuroMedical Center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, by Dr. Gerald J. Calegan, Neurologist, one of the few movement disorder specialists in South Louisiana, and Dr. Paul J. Waguespack, Neurosurgeon.

DBS is used for two main disease processes: Essential Tremor and Parkinson”s Disease. For patients with Essential Tremor, such as Ms. Seal, DBS usually reduces their tremors by 60-90%. Often, they are able to resume a near-normal lifestyle after receiving DBS. For patients with advanced Parkinson”s Disease, the medications that were once so effective at relieving their shaking, stiffness, and slowness gradually become less effective, and can even cause involuntary writhing-type movements. For this particular group of Parkinson”s Disease patients, DBS can drastically reduce these involuntary movements and offer additional relief of their shaking, stiffness, and slowness. DBS is currently being investigated in many other diseases such as Depression, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, Pain Disorders, and Dystonias.

“Before my Essential Tremors got severe, I was an active cook,” said Ms. Seal. “I made the best homemade biscuits just like my grandmother use to make and being a Louisiana native I could make wonderful gumbos and rouxs. But as the tremors got worse, it became harder to do even simple things. I could not put on my own make-up, clean the house, or even enjoy dinner with friends. I would go out to dinner, but tell my friends I wasn”t hungry so I would not be embarrassed from dropping my food. The truth was I was starving! ”

DBS therapy uses a surgically implanted medical device, similar to cardiac pacemakers, to deliver carefully controlled electrical stimulation to precisely targeted areas in the brain. Continuous stimulation of these areas counters the signals that cause the disabling symptoms of Essential Tremors and Parkinson”s disease. “Since receiving DBS, I can enjoy a full cup of coffee without having ” roll of paper towels by my side or waiting until it is too cold to drink it,” says Ms. Seal. “I can actually eat when I go out to dinner with friends and not be embarrassed about dropping my food.”

The effects of DBS are also adjustable, which means it provides patients with maximum symptom relief while minimizing side effects. The therapy is also reversible, which means patients will be able to pursue new treatments that may be developed some time in the future.

“We are extremely pleased that we can now offer patients who suffer from these devastating neurological diseases the opportunity to lead active lives again with this new treatment option,” says Dr Calegan. “Medications can be very effective for quite a while in most people with Parkinson”s Disease and Essential Tremor, but as these diseases progress, the medications can be less effective. Prior to DBS, additional treatment options were very limited at that point, and patients became more debilitated. Now, we can offer patients in South Louisiana a revolutionary new therapy that can dramatically change their lives for the better.”

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