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A surgical procedure offering renewed hope for individuals battling advanced Parkinson’s disease is gaining traction in Querétaro, Mexico, according to a neurologist specializing in the condition. Deep brain stimulation (DBS) surgery is being presented as a viable option for patients who have lived with Parkinson’s for many years and are experiencing diminishing returns from traditional pharmacological treatments.

Yamil Matuk Pérez, a neurologist and specialist in Parkinson’s disease and movement disorders, explained that while Parkinson’s is often associated with older adults, recent studies indicate an increasing prevalence among younger individuals. “Parkinson’s is more frequent than it appears. It is a disease that we do not yet have the ability to prevent,” Matuk Pérez stated in an interview with La Jornada. He emphasized that the majority of patients receive a diagnosis without a clear identifiable cause, making prevention particularly challenging.

The clinical characteristics of Parkinson’s are broadly categorized into motor and non-motor symptoms, with the motor symptoms – tremor, rigidity, slowness of movement, and postural instability – being key to diagnosis. Matuk Pérez noted that a diagnosis doesn’t always require all four cardinal symptoms to be present; some patients may exhibit only two or three.

While Parkinson’s is not a fatal disease, Matuk Pérez stressed the importance of dispelling this misconception, which often causes significant distress upon diagnosis. “It’s a myth. In fact, when we give the diagnosis, the patient goes through a deep mourning of the disease,” he said. “Parkinson’s disease is a disease that can be very well controlled with treatment. A well-treated patient can generally live with quality of life and face the following years of their life after diagnosis.”

However, the long-term efficacy of pharmacological treatments can diminish, leading to adverse effects. This is where DBS surgery emerges as a potential solution. Matuk Pérez described the surgery as “very safe, with a very low risk of complications and a very high benefit.”

Candidates for DBS surgery typically include patients who require medication more than five or six times a day, experience complications with their medications, have lived with the disease for over five years, or demonstrate intolerance to Parkinson’s treatments. A comprehensive neuropsychological evaluation is also conducted prior to surgery.

Andrea Uribe Pérez, a clinical neuropsychologist, explained that the evaluation assesses cognitive processes and emotional well-being, specifically looking for symptoms of depression, anxiety, and impulse control disorders, which are common in Parkinson’s patients.

Julissa Chávez, a 53-year-old Parkinson’s patient, shared her experience with DBS surgery. Diagnosed at age 49, she eventually became intolerant to medication and was deemed a candidate for the procedure after extensive testing. Chávez described the surgery as “the smartest decision I could have made in my life.” She now lives without medication and reports a dramatically improved quality of life, resuming activities such as driving and managing her professional life.

The DBS procedure itself involves implanting electrodes into specific regions of the brain to generate stimuli that control disease symptoms. The surgery, which can last up to 12 hours, is performed by a team including functional neurosurgeons, neuroanesthesiologists, biomedical engineers, and Parkinson’s specialists. The procedure is available in both private hospitals and public institutions like the Instituto Nacional de Neurología and the Centro Médico Nacional Siglo XXI in Mexico City, as well as the ISSSTE 20 de Noviembre.