New treatment option available for Parkinson's Disease

A neurosurgeon from Des Moines spoke to a local support group Tuesday about a non-medical treatment option for Parkinson's Disease.

Esmiralda Henderson, of Mercy Medical Center, spoke to about a dozen people in the Parkinson's Support Group at the Marshalltown Public Library about deep brain stimulation.

Henderson, the only deep brain stimulation fellowship trained in central Iowa, told the group the two stage surgery first starts with a thin electrode being implanted in a specific region of the brain using precise equipment. The patient is generally kept awake for portions of the procedure in order to provide important information and feedback regarding the lead placement, Henderson said.

T-R PHOTO BY STEPHANIE IVANKOVICH Esmiralda Henderson, a neurosurgeon from Des Moines, talks to the Parkinsons Disease Support Group, Tuesday at the Marshalltown Public Library. Henderson told the group about deep brain stimulation, a treatment for Parkinsons Disease.

During second procedure the patient would be put to sleep to have the neurostimulator implanted under the patient's collar bone or in the abdominal area. The neurostimulator is essentially a brain pacemaker, Henderson said.

"It treats symptoms of Parkinson's Disease just like medications would," Henderson said. "It's important for someone with Parkinson's Disease to come for surgical evaluation to make sure they are a good candidate for surgery. Some people it's too early or too late. It's important to identify the proper patient. If you select the patient properly the success rate is high."

Deep brain stimulation has been practiced since the 1940s as a treatment for movement disorders, Henderson said.

Dennis Eige, facilitator of the Parkinson's Support group, said it's important to get this information out to people with Parkinson's Disease.

"We're hoping that hearing this information will give people an option in the future," Eige said. "As the disease progresses it's more debilitating. This is a possible option for people to take less medication or no medication to treat their condition."

For more information, Henderson can be contacted at 515- 358-0100.

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New treatment option available for Parkinson's Disease