Free community event on April 21 explains surgical treatment for Parkinson’s
SUN CITY, Ariz. (March 18, 2011) – Banner Boswell Medical Center invites the community to a free public symposium on deep brain stimulation (DBS) from 9 to 11 a.m. Thursday, April 21, in the hospital’s Memorial Hall, on the first floor of the Support Services building, 13180 N. 103rd Drive in Sun City. Reservations can be made online anytime or during normal business hours by phone at (602) 230-2273. Refreshments will be served.
Presentations include “Deep Brain Stimulation: Is it right for you?” with neurologist and movement disorders specialist Holly Shill, MD, and “Deep Brain Stimulation as a Surgical Treatment for Parkinson’s Disease” with neurosurgeon David Pootrakul, MD. A panel discussion with the physicians and former DBS patients will follow. The event also will include information on Parkinson’s disease rehabilitation and community support.
DBS is a surgical therapy used to help patients with Parkinson’s disease or essential tremor. Qualified patients who opt for DBS have motor-skill challenges that significantly interfere with their quality of life and cannot be controlled by medication.
DBS therapy works much like a cardiac pacemaker. A pulse generator is implanted beneath the skin in the chest and sends electrical signals through a wire in the neck and up to the region of the brain that controls movement. Leads – thin, insulated wires – typically are placed on both sides of the brain to lessen the effects of tremor and the stiffness and slowness associated with Parkinson's disease.
Banner Boswell is one of only three centers in the Valley and 170 centers in the nation approved to perform DBS.
In the largest study of its kind published in the Jan. 7, 2009 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, researchers concluded that DBS improves both physical function and quality of life after six months in patients with Parkinson’s disease. The surgical procedure is approved by the FDA and covered by most insurance providers, including Medicare.
There is currently no cure for the more than 1.5 million Americans who suffer from the Parkinson’s disease.
About Banner Boswell Medical Center
Banner Boswell Medical Center is a 430-bed, acute-care hospital located in Sun City, Arizona. Founded in 1970, Banner Boswell offers heart services, cancer care, orthopedics, neurosciences, women’s diagnostics, emergency care, and medical and surgical services. Supporting Banner Boswell’s mission of excellent patient care is Sun Health, which encourages charitable giving to enhance health care delivery. Banner Boswell is part of nonprofit Banner Health, named a Top Ten Hospital System in the U.S. by Thomson Reuters, with 23 hospitals throughout the West. For more information about Banner Boswell, visit www.BannerHealth.com/Boswell.
Contact:
Lisa Guinn
(623) 876-5704
