Patient Stories from Guangzhou: Finding Long-Lost Relaxation

Ms. Wang, a 53-year-old patient, had suffered from Parkinson's disease for 15 years, experiencing tremors, stiffness, and slow movements.

Ms. Wang was only 38 years old when she was diagnosed with Parkinson's, in the prime of her life. Unfortunately, she was struck by the disease, embarking on a long journey to combat it. Initially, she experienced tremors and stiffness in her left limbs, and medication failed to control the symptoms after a few years. About 10 years ago, Ms. Wang underwent radiofrequency ablation of the cranial nerve nuclei. While her symptoms improved somewhat, she also suffered from sequelae: slurred speech, left-hand weakness, and extremely poor balance, with little improvement in the tremor. In recent years, as the disease progressed, bilateral limb symptoms, especially on the right side, which had previously been milder, worsened significantly. She frequently fell at home, either on her left or right foot, making it impossible for her to leave the house. With the severe right-sided tremor and left-hand weakness, Ms. Wang struggled to even hold a cup to drink water at home. She needed help from her family to eat, and was completely unable to care for herself. After more than a decade of suffering from Parkinson's disease, and having undergone both medication and ablation, Ms. Wang still struggled to take care of herself. Seeing her friends around her gathering in groups for square dancing and various post-retirement activities, she felt both envious and heartbroken.

In May of this year, Ms. Wang learned online that Southern Hospital was offering DBS surgery, a minimally invasive, effective treatment for Parkinson's disease without causing irreversible damage. Determined to give it a try, Ms. Wang sought out Dr. Yang Kaijun, Director of the Neurosurgery Department at Southern Hospital. After meeting Ms. Wang and discussing her case several times, Dr. Yang concluded that Ms. Wang had undergone radiofrequency ablation of the right ventral intermediate nucleus of the thalamus (Vim) and the globus pallidus internus (Gpi). Ablation is a destructive procedure, and the damage is irreversible. Her disease is currently progressing bilaterally, with symptoms predominantly on the right side. Symptoms are inconsistent, and coordination is difficult. For this patient, bilateral subthalamic nucleus (STN) brain pacemaker implantation is the best treatment option. Postoperative bilateral frequency modulation is expected to achieve satisfactory results.

With the introduction of Dr. Yang Kaijun and Dr. Long Hao from the Department of Neurosurgery at Nanfang Hospital, Ms. Wang learned about the "Jingyu New Generation Wireless Remote Brain Pacemaker." She also learned that it's the only product on the market that supports differential frequency stimulation of left and right brain electrodes. This allows for completely different frequencies, voltages, and pulse widths on each side, depending on the severity of symptoms on the left and right sides and the midline. This solves the problem of simultaneously treating both limb and midline symptoms, improving treatment effectiveness and significantly reducing side effects.

After meticulous preoperative preparation, the functional neurosurgery team at Nanfang Hospital successfully implanted the pacemaker. During the intraoperative testing, Ms. Wang remarked, "I haven't felt this relaxed in my hands and feet in years."

One month after the surgery, Ms. Wang returned to Nanfang Hospital for the device's programmable control. Under the guidance of Dr. Long Hao from the Department of Neurosurgery at Nanfang Hospital, Ms. Wang's symptoms were significantly controlled. The results were remarkable: her tremor disappeared, she walked with significantly more strength, her balance improved, and she no longer stumbled, and her hands moved freely. Ms. Wang was thrilled to experience a sense of relief she hadn't felt in a long time.

For Parkinson's patients, living a normal life is something they long for, but only rarely achieve. Shortly after turning on the device, Ms. Wang was eager to experience her once-normal life. She could go out to buy groceries and cook meals at home, no longer needing help from her family. She could take care of herself. She was deeply grateful for this transformation and felt fortunate to have encountered the neurosurgery team at Nanfang Hospital and Suzhou Jingyu's pacemaker.