Vim & Vigor - Spring 2014 - Community Healthcare - (Page 54)

SPOTLIGHT ON: COMMUNITY HOSPITAL Implanting HOPE Parkinson's and tremor patients regain control with deep brain stimulation BY ELISE SIMS F or 38 years, Frank Maver Jr. of Highland made a living with his hands. So when the retired Inland Steel machinist found he couldn't hold a fork in one hand and cut with the other or bring food up to his mouth, he knew he needed help. He turned to neurologist Ender Akan, MD, on staff at Community Hospital and St. Catherine Hospital, who conﬁ rmed a diagnosis of Parkinson's disease and prescribed medications. "I was bafﬂed by the news," Maver says. "I don't have a family history of Parkinson's and these issues had never affected me before. I was a machinist in a machine shop making small parts to help keep the steel mill running and I worked with my hands to achieve precision to within 1/10,000th of an inch." Parkinson's disease is a degenerative disorder of the nervous system. Early in the disease, symptoms are mostly movement-related, such as resting tremor, rigidity and slowness of movement. The disease is more common in older adults, with most cases being diagnosed in people older than 50. There is no cure, but early diagnosis and symptom management can optimize patient success. Despite Maver being on medications for close to ﬁve years, as time went on, his symptoms got worse and made everyday living a battle. "I wasn't able to drive anymore," he says. "I could not control the gas pedal or brake fast enough to drive because of stiffness in my legs. Bending down to tie my shoes was impossible. I was exhausted, had trouble getting in and out of my favorite chair." 54 SPRING 2 014 Neurosurgeon Wayel Kaakaji, MD Movement disorders fellowship-trained neurologist Andrea DeLeo, DO, MSE Akan asked Maver to visit his partner Andrea DeLeo, DO, MSE, a movement disorders fellowshiptrained neurologist who specializes in deep brain stimulation (DBS) and its programming in conjunction with neurosurgeon Wayel Kaakaji, MD. BACK IN CONTROL "They were sure they could improve my quality of life with a minimally invasive procedure called deep brain stimulation," Maver says. "It was amazing, a miracle. Out of this world. They took good care of me." "The most rewarding part of being partnered in the DBS program offered at Community Hospital is seeing the smile on my patient's face once the initial programming is completed and observing their overwhelming satisfaction that they have ﬁnally achieved that moment of glory in their battle to regain their lives, despite their disease," DeLeo says. "Deep brain stimulation has given us an enormously advantageous tool in our armamentarium of treatments of dystonia, essential tremor and motor ﬂuctuations seen in Parkinson's disease, which include disabling rigidity and tremor," DeLeo says. "Following the procedure, Mr. Maver's rigidity improved notably-by about 75 percent-and his resting tremor was reduced by approximately 60 percent. Prior to surgery he had stiffness in his legs, difﬁculty getting in and out of a chair and stiffness with movement. He no longer experiences these symptoms and has beneﬁted from a decrease in medication as well." The Movement Disorder/DBS program at Community Hospital offers treatment options that extend beyond medication management for neurological movement disorders such as Parkinson's disease, essential tremor and dystonia.

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Vim & Vigor - Spring 2014 - Community Healthcare

Vim & Vigor - Spring 2014 - Community Healthcare
Contents
Community Message
Community Briefs
A Fresh Start
A Tale of Three Hearts
Occupational Hazards
The New Rules of Play
Shopping for Two
Back to Basics
Burn, Baby, Burn
Angelina Jolie
Rock Your Health
Breaking Up with Salt
Disgusting! (or Not?)
Virtual Health
Let’s Be Social
SPOTLIGHT ON: St. Catherine Hospital
SPOTLIGHT ON: St. Mary Medical
SPOTLIGHT ON: Community Hospital
A New Frontier

Vim & Vigor - Spring 2014 - Community Healthcare