Surgery at JH

[Guest guest]

Hi Courage -- I remember seeing this performed on TV -- I think it was a

shortened version of the actual operation (gotta make room for commercials ya

know). It was extremely interesting and I do remember seeing the man's

tremors before and after. At the time it looked to be a very promising fix,

but I don't recall that it was used after that -- or even what the later

years of the original man were like. Did he continue to be without the

tremors, or???

Interesting what we store away in our brains.

Keep on searching Courage -- you're becoming a wealth of info.

By the way, I so enjoyed reading about your time with your Mom -- those are

such special gifts we receive. We need to tuck those away in our back pockets

as well as the smile we find we need once in a while.

Here's smilin' at you kid!

Joni

In a message dated 4/27/2003 12:23:30 AM Pacific Standard Time,

LBDcaregivers writes:

> Date: Sun, 27 Apr 2003 00:56:45 -0500

>

> Subject: Russ - Surgery at s Hopkins

>

> Hi Russ,

>

> I read the following in Dr. Gawande's book " Complications " (page 123):

>

> " One spring day in 1994, Dr. Frederick Lenz, a neurosurgeon at the s

> Hopkins Hospital, brought into his operating table a patient suffering from

> severe hand tremors... [Dr. Lenz] injected a local anesthetic - the

> operation is done with the patient awake - and burred a small opening in

> the

> top of [the patient's] skull...and cautiously insterted a long, thin

> electrical probe deep inside...The probe was in a portion of [the

> patient's]

> thalamus that Lenz labeled Site 19, and he zapped it with low voltage.

> [Dr.

> Lenz] cauterized [the cells]...and the operation was a success " .

>

> Do you know if this has been tried on Parkinson's/LBD patiens? If not, I

> wonder if this would help at all?

>

> Thanks,

> Courage

>