Have you met DBS Technology?

We can successfully treat Parkinson's disease as well as movement disorders such as essential tremor and dystonia using this treatment method known as "neuromodulation."

The  DBS is a device placed inside the human brain, consisting of an electrode  with four polarity-variable platinum-iridium poles, an extension connecting  this electrode to the main DBS device, and the body of the DBS. The electrode  part of the DBS is placed inside the human brain. This electrode is  integrated into the DBS placed under the skin on the upper part of the rib  cage by means of an extension. This DBS device, which can be programmed with  an external computer, enables the four poles at the end of the electrode to  be changed as positive, negative, or neutral and to produce alternative  combinations. In addition, the intensity of the electric current to be given  to the brain, the number of waves per second, and the wave width are  adjustable.

How are the Position of the Target Cells Found?

In these surgeries, we find an anatomical formation with a  diameter of 2-3 millimeters in the brain and intervene there. The safest method,  which ensures that the results are very pleasing and the low risks , that is,  "ensure the right intervention in the right place," is the  "Microelectrode Recording and Stimulation Technique." Thanks to  this technique, we can listen to the cells responsible for the disease in the  brain one by one and determine their correct locations. This technology  brings us to our goal, and thanks to this technique, we can draw the  physiological map of the brain. We placed DBS electrodes on the diseased  area, which we detected with an error margin of less than 80 microns.

Why is the patient awake during surgery?

During  most of the operation, the patient is awake and talking to us and chatting.  Sometimes they talk about their grandchildren, sometimes they chat about  Football, and sometimes they sing. The purpose of keeping the patient awake  during surgery is to locate the cells responsible for the disease and the  anatomical formations around it. For this reason, we do the surgery while  keeping the patient awake and talking to each other. In this way, it is  easier to reach the problematic area by measuring the patient's reactions.

What  is the Technological Life-time of the DBS?

Until recently,  we used non-rechargeable batteries, and the lifespan of DBS in Parkinson's  patients was between 4-6 years. This period may be even shorter in dystonia  patients who require higher electrical current. Thanks to the developing  technology in recent years, it is possible to apply batteries that can be  charged externally and have a life-time of up to 20-25 years; Also We have  started to use devices with technology that can adjust the direction and  intensity of the electric current we inject into the brain as we want. Thanks  to these developments, on the one hand, our success rates in treatment have  increased. On the other hand, there has been no need for DBS replacement for  a long time.

The  Importance and Function of the DBS

We can  define DBS surgeries as "turning back the clock of the disease". We  can return a ten-year-old Parkinson's patient back to the early years of  her/his disease.We do not eliminate the disease, but significantly improve  the motor manifestations of it.Thanks to this treatment, people who cannot  live independently and who are disconnected from social life have the chance  to live independently again, and a significant number of them have the chance  to practice their profession again.

Ask  your doctor about your questions on our ask the doctor page,  You can share it with Assoc. Prof. Dr.Ali Zirh  and learn the answers to all your questions firsthand.

SOLUTION CENTER

You  can ask all your questions to our international team, who will try to support  you in all matters before and after the treatment, and you can also benefit  from the experience of our patients. You can leave your contact information  in the "Let's Call You" section and have our team contact you as soon  as possible. If you wish, you can contact us at our solution center at +90  533 273 40 41.