Webinar Recording: Davis Phinney Foundation Presents a Virtual DBS Forum

Sponsored by Boston Scientific and Medtronic

Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) to treat tremor in people with Parkinson’s was approved by the FDA in 1997. Then in 2002, it was approved to treat advanced symptoms of Parkinson’s. For many years, people thought DBS was only for people who were very advanced. That’s not the case. There are many who have only been living with Parkinson’s for a few years who are great candidates for DBS. DBS has the power to reduce or eliminate OFF times, reduce the frequency and dose of medications, and dramatically improve quality of life.

This webinar covered the what, when, why, how, and more of DBS from movement disorder specialists who recommend it, surgeons who perform it, companies that make the devices, and someone who has been living with it for over 10 years.

This Webinar was recorded live on April 22, 2020.

In this webinar, the panel discussed:

  • The goals of DBS and how it works
  • About the different types of DBS systems (including the different types of batteries)
  • What symptoms DBS does and does not help
  • How quickly and how well symptoms respond to DBS over the long term
  • The biggest myths or misunderstandings about DBS
  • How to blend DBS and medication and what to expect over time
  • How the approval/evaluation process works
  • About the ethical implications/dilemmas related to DBS
  • How programming works, potential challenges related to programming, and what to expect
  • Developments and innovation in DBS

Moderator

Dr. Sonia Mathur
Former family physician, Davis Phinney Foundation Board member, living with Parkinson’s for over 20 years

Panelists

Dr. Helen Brontë-Stewart
John E. Cahill Family Professor in the Department of Neurology and Neurological Sciences and in the department of Neurosurgery (by courtesy) at the Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California

Dr. Kelly Foote
Professor, Lillian S. Wells Department of Neurosurgery, University of Florida College of Medicine; Co-Director, Norman Fixel Institute for Neurological Diseases at UF Health; Donnellan/Einstein/Merz Professor of Functional Neurosurgery

Dr. Aaron Haug
Movement Disorder Specialist at Blue Sky Neurology (Englewood, CO)

Dr. Francisco Ponce
Director of the Barrow Center for Neuromodulation

Marty Acevedo
Davis Phinney Foundation Ambassador

Dr. Stephen Carcieri
Fellow Research Scientist, Boston Scientific

Dr. Lisa M. Johanek
Sr. Prin. Medical Affairs Scientist, Medtronic

Thank you to our sponsors

While the generous support of our sponsors makes our educational programs possible, their donations do not influence Davis Phinney Foundation content, perspective, or speaker selection.

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