Parkinson’s disease: Marie (62) controls the disease and tremors with a button

Teacher Marie Pátková fell ill ten years ago, and the disease worsened over time. Medicines, rehab, nothing didn’t work. “I’m a fighter, and even though I was severely limited by an unmanageable tremor, I still went to work. I explained to my students what I was suffering from, that the teaching would be a little different, and “my” children took it very well,” Mrs. Marie smiles.

Hope from Homolka

She was already resigned to the fact that it would be worse when hope dawned on her! Doctors at Na Homolce Hospital said that Parkinson’s can be treated operatively. And that by deep brain stimulation of precisely determined brain structures using permanently inserted electrodes.

Sisters, pass the drill

Mrs. Pátková underwent a four-hour operation in February this year. The procedure is performed while conscious, the operators must find exactly the place in the brain that will be stimulated and must make sure that no other center (speech, movement, etc.) will be damaged.

“The operation was fine, I just felt a little numb when the doctor asked the nurse for a drill. I mentally prayed that he would drill the right spot. And it worked,” the teacher praises the paramedics.

A unique place

Deep brain stimulation has been performed for many years and more or less alleviates the symptoms of the disease. In the case of Mrs. Marie, the stimulation electrode was inserted into a completely unique place in the brain. This procedure was carried out for the first time here in cooperation between the General University Hospital and Na Homolce Hospital.

With your own eyes

Ms. Pátková was willing to demonstrate the results of the procedure in front of journalists. She was sitting on a chair, no sign of illness. A bystander warned, “Don’t panic!” Then a doctor approached her and, using a device similar to a remote control, turned off her brain stimulation. And it was a shock. Her right arm and leg immediately began to shake very violently. When he turned the device on, Marie was able to stand still with her arms outstretched.