NIMS Hyderabad reduces deep brain stimulation surgery time with new technique
The Department of Neurosurgery at Nizam’s Institute of Medical Sciences (NIMS), Hyderabad, has introduced an advanced technique that reduces the duration of Deep Brain Stimulation
The Department of Neurosurgery at Nizam’s Institute of Medical Sciences (NIMS), Hyderabad, has introduced an advanced technique that reduces the duration of Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) surgery from the conventional five to six hours to just one to two hours in selected patients. According to NIMS, the procedure was implemented by Y. Vamsi Krishna, head of the Department of Neurosurgery.
The institute said the technique combines advanced imaging, precise surgical planning and refined operative methods, enabling DBS procedures to be performed under general anaesthesia instead of the conventional awake craniotomy approach. DBS is used to treat movement disorders such as Parkinson’s disease, essential tremor and dystonia. Traditionally, patients undergoing the surgery are required to remain awake for several hours while electrodes are implanted in specific areas of the brain.
The institute said the neurosurgery team adopted the technique after receiving specialised training at the Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, University College London. It added that more than 200 DBS surgeries have been performed at NIMS over the past two-and-a-half years. In another development, NIMS has introduced MRI-guided radiofrequency ablation for patients with tremors that do not respond to medication.
The procedure uses advanced MRI sequences to identify and target the dentato-rubro-thalamic (DRT) pathway accurately and does not require implantation of any permanent device. The treatment, which costs around ₹5 lakh in private hospitals, is being provided free of cost to eligible underprivileged patients through the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund.
The BriefWire