British surgeons are believed to be the first in the world to implant a device into a brain to reverse the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease.
Southmead Hospital in Bristol is implanting tiny deep brain stimulation (DBS) devices into the skulls of 25 trial volunteers.
The first patient to receive one has described its “amazing” life changing impact and experts say 14,000 Brits with Parkinson’s could benefit.
Tony Howells, who was diagnosed with Parkinson’s nine years ago, said: “Before the operation I went for a walk on Boxing Day with my wife and I got 200 yards (182m) from the actual car.
“I had to turn around and go back because I just couldn’t walk.
“Then after the operation, which was 12 months later, I went on Boxing Day again and we went for 2.5 miles (4km) and we could’ve went further.
“It was amazing.”
Traditional operations for Parkinson’s involve implanting a fairly large battery into the chest with wires that run under the skin through to the top of the head.
The new DBS system, the smallest that has ever been created, involves a tiny battery system for the device that is implanted into the skull.
The device delivers electrical impulses directly to targeted areas deep within the brain.
To do this, electric probes are put through the skull into an area deep in the centre of the brain that is critical in regulating movement.
It takes just three hours to carry out the new operation, about half the time it used to with the larger battery.
Southmead Hospital neurologist Dr Alan Whone said: “We are delighted with how this first case went in the operating theatre and with how the patient’s symptoms have been improved over the last year.
“We are hopeful that if these findings hold-up, we will have a significant technical advance by which to improve Parkinson’s care across the world.
“There are about 140,000 people living with Parkinson’s in the UK and about 14,000 who could benefit from this device if the trial continues to be successful.
“If you’re more elderly, or if you’ve got memory problems as part of your Parkinson’s, this wouldn’t be suitable for you.
“But if you’re a younger person with Parkinson’s, who can have brain surgery and so on, then it becomes much more applicable to that group.
“If the treatment is approved by the medical regulator then it could double the number of people who could benefit from it.”
Parkinson’s disease leads to parts of the brain becoming progressively damaged over years and currently has no cure.
Symptoms include involuntary tremoring, slow movement, loss of automatic movement and stiff and inflexible muscles.
Most people develop symptoms when they are over 50 but around 5% of sufferers first experience symptoms when they are under 40.
Tony, who had the operation in 2019 and is now playing golf again, said it can “give somebody their life back”.
He added: “You can’t understand how frustrating Parkinson’s is until it happens to you.
“The most difficult thing to accept is the decline in daily activities like tying-up shoelaces, taking three or four minutes instead of seconds. It affects your every day life no end.”
