Around 166,000 people have been diagnosed with Parkinson’s in the UK alone. That figure is expected to grow to 272,000 by 2034.
As the search for a cure continues, patients continue to seek treatments that can reduce symptoms and improve their quality of life.
One well-established treatment is deep brain stimulation (DBS), which has been a proven Parkinson’s therapy for more than three decades.
The technology can treat symptoms that are not adequately controlled by medication, including motor complications.
Now, recent advances such as those from Boston Scientific are improving patient outcomes through enhanced precision and personalisation, as well as reduced procedure time.
The company’s Vercise Cartesia X directional leads deliver accurate targeted electrical pulses to help rebalance faulty signals in the brain to improve motor symptoms.
The technology enables more precise, faster DBS treatment, helping clinicians tailor therapy to the patient’s individual brain anatomy more efficiently, effectively and giving them a better quality of life.
Vincent Sourdaine is vice president, Neuromodulation in Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) at Boston Scientific.
He says: “It’s important to have in mind that each brain is different, and what physicians want to achieve is precise, personalised therapy.
“Ultimately, we want to address symptoms while avoiding side effect regions.”
Boston Scientific’s new leads with 16 contacts allow to steer the electrical pulses to specific areas of the brain, rather than creating a ‘ring’ of stimulation as other DBS systems do.
Vincent Sourdaine
This enables clinicians to strike a balance between relieving symptoms and minimising side-effects.
One of the major barriers to DBS adoption has been the duration and number of programming sessions to adjust the therapy, following the surgical procedure.
Boston Scientific’s Image-Guided DBS speeds up the process significantly by streamlining both the planning phase and the programming of the DBS itself.
Sourdaine says: “We’ve been showing that we can reduce programming time by more than 50 per cent.
“By combining the directional lead with this image-guided technology, you achieve a better outcome – and faster.”
It also has benefits to the healthcare system, he adds.
“If you’re able to free up capacity, you can also treat more patients and reduce waiting lists.
“So you’re providing more value for everyone.”
Boston Scientific recently launched its new leads at major neurology centres across the UK.
Patients have experienced improved mobility, greater independence and reduced their reliance on medication, Sourdaine says.
Matthew, diagnosed with Parkinson’s at 31, took part in a clinical trial at St George’s University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust in London.
With DBS therapy, he reduced his medication intake and regained independence, including the ability to drive.
His case also helped pave the way for NHS patients to access the treatment.
Sourdaine says: “This shows that DBS really translates into tangible benefits that you can see.
“It gives patients more time with their family, more participation in their daily life and renewed confidence in managing the symptoms.
“It can be really transformational for the patient and their family.”
Tackling the pain problem
September is Pain Awareness Month, with Boston Scientific using the opportunity to raise awareness of its spinal cord stimulation (SCS) and Intracept technology.
Similarly to DBS, SCS delivers a mild electrical pulse to the spinal cord to interrupt the pain signal before it reaches the brain.
With Intracept, Boston Scientific introduced a new technology designed to address vertebrogenic low back pain through ablation of the basivertebral nerve (BVN).
Boston Scientific’s SCS with its new Infinion Pro lead enable clinicians to tailor the stimulation to the patient’s unique pain profile to regain mobility, reduce reliance on medication and improve overall quality of life.
Sourdaine says: “Again, it’s all about personalisation to each patient.
“With Infinion Pro, clinicians can achieve seamless coverage spanning three vertebral levels with tight contact spacing, which really can help to address complex pain, as many patients experience multiple areas of pain.”
Meanwhile, the company’s FAST therapy is designed to deliver ‘profound’ pain relief in minutes.
Again, not only does this improve the patient experience, it also frees up clinician time and gives them more confidence in the therapy, Sourdaine says.
While Sourdaine is excited about more innovation on the horizon, he believes awareness is more important today.
He says: “We want to ensure that every general practitioner knows about these kinds of procedures so that more patients can see the benefits for themselves.”
