Neurology Dep. Attending Physician  Dr. Ming-Gui Lu
Neurosurgery Dep. Attending Physician  Dr. Yu-Kai Cheng

Parkinson's Disease is a common neurodegenerative disease with major symptoms, such as progressive bradykinesia, muscle rigidity, resting tremor, and balance disorder. Although pharmacotherapy in the early stages of the disease is usually effective, the effectiveness of the medication shortens in duration as the disease progresses and uncontrollable limb twitching or dyskinesia starts to appear. At this point, pharmacotherapy alone cannot provide satisfying treatment results. Therefore, “Deep Brain Stimulation Surgery” provides an alternative with better outcomes to help patients and families reduce the chronic pain and inconvenience of the disease.

A Crucial Electronic Device against Parkinson's Disease. Deep Brain Stimulation has Outstanding Treatment Results
After Dr. Benabid, a French neurosurgeon, discovered that microelectrodes could stimulate specific nerve cores in the deep brain to effectively relieve symptoms of Parkinson's Disease, many developed countries around the world have approved this procedure as an adjuvant therapy for Parkinson's Disease.

Dr. Ming-Gui Lu, attending physician of the Neurology department, indicated that the Ministry of Health and Welfare approved the coverage of the stimulation device in 2015, benefitting many patients, but patients are still responsible for the rest of the treatment expenses. In one patient case, Mr. Shen was diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease six years ago with symptoms of bradykinesia and tremor on the left side of his body. Pharmacotherapy in the early stages was sufficient to maintain his daily activities and work, but the medication duration of effectiveness shortened after five years of treatment and Mr. Shen could not handle his normal work anymore. Evaluated and recommended by the neurologist and neurosurgeon at China Medical University Hospital, Mr. Shen received deep brain stimulation treatment. The post-surgical recovery period has progressed very well and, combined with pharmacotherapy, the treatment results have been to the patient’s satisfaction. Mr. Shen has also started to learned how to use the in vitro remote control to keep the symptoms under further control.

Active Treatment for Good Life Quality even after Years of Suffering
Many patients with Parkinson’s Disease lose the opportunity of obtaining a better quality of life due to their lack of knowledge about deep brain stimulation therapy. Patients suffering from Parkinson's Disease for many years should consider following in Mr. Shen's footsteps and consult with their doctors about the possibility of undergoing this precision surgery. After all, there is still a high chance of obtaining a good quality of life even when suffering from Parkinson’s Disease.