TIRUPATI: The SVIMS conducted 25 successful surgeries on Parkinson’s patients at a cost Rs 8 lakh per person, TS Ravi Kumar, Vice-Chancellor, said. He said that the operations were conducted under the Pranadanam scheme, with SVIMS funds along with Rs 3.5 lakh per person from the CM’s Relief Fund.
The Vice-Chancellor said that the surgical intervention on the revival of lives of Parkinson’s patients was a highly advanced method. “SVIMS came forward to provide service to the poor in this rare disease. Imported neuro stimulator cost Rs 6.3 lakh, implants and the surgery and medicines cost about Rs 1 lakh,” he said.
Addressing the media, Ravi Kumar said that Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) is an established treatment for movement disorders, such as essential tremor, Parkinson’s disease and dystonia, and more recently, obsessive-compulsive disorder. “It is a neurosurgical procedure involving the implantation of a medical device called a neurostimulator (also called brain pacemaker), which sends electrical impulses, through implanted electrodes, to a specific target in the brain for the treatment of movement and neuropsychiatric disorders,” he said.
The VC said that the procedure was conducted at SVIMS by neurosurgeons BCM Prasad (HoD), Neurologist B Vengamma, former director and surgeons Dr Naveen and Dr Ramesh Chandra.