USM Creates History With Parkinson's Disease Surgery

KOTA BAHARU, April 24 (Bernama) -- The Universiti Sains Malaysia Hospital (HUSM) in Kubang Kerian here has achieved a landmark when it successfully treated a long-suffering Parkinson's disease (PD) patient.
The feat was achieved last March 21 when an electrode implant was placed in the brain of a 54 year-old patient, HUSM consultant neurologist Professor Madya Dr John Tharakan K.J. told a media conference here today.
Retired Telekom Malaysia Berhad employee Che Idris Che Yusoff had been suffering from Parkinson's disease for 17 years.
Dr Tharakan said other than the electrode implant, the surgery which took about three hours also involved placing a battery in the patient's chest.
He added that the patient gave positive reaction during treatment signalling that HUSM had successfully treated other PD symptoms like essential tremor (ET) and dystonia which caused tremors and stiffness that lead to movement disabilities.
Seven specialists were involved in the thirty minutes surgery where the patient was not injected with anaesthetic except when the battery was placed.
They included neurosurgeon and neuroscience senior consultant Professor Dr Jafri Malin Datuk Abdullah and neurosurgery specialist surgeon Dr Abdul Rahman Izaini Ghani who is also a USM lecturer.
Dr Tharakan said the treatment involved placing a 0.8mm or 10mm wire (electrode) to a sensitive part of the brain and is connected with an electrical wire to a battery placed in the patient's chest.
"The 1.2mm wire can last a lifetime while the battery has to be changed once every five years at a cost of RM5,000.
"As soon as the electrode wire was in place and the switch at the battery was activated, the patient started to respond and the hand tremors then stopped," he added.
Dr Tharakan said the Parkinson's disease surgery at HUSM cost about RM90,000 compared with between RM200,000 and RM250,000 charged by private hospitals.