Can NMR still be done? The Renji team implanted the latest domestically produced brain pacemaker into a patient, who suffered from Parkinson's disease at the age of 40
Mr. Chen, a patient with Parkinson's disease, is only in his 40s this year and has been suffering from the disease for several years. However, now he is finally no longer afraid of "Pa". At Renji Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, he underwent implantation of the latest domestically produced 3.0T magnetic resonance compatible brain pacemaker. "It's great. I feel like my life has been restarted with one click. Not only can I regain control of my body, but I can also receive a full-body MRI scan without any hindrance, which will facilitate future examination and medical needs." said the director of neurosurgery at Renji Hospital. Physician Zhou Hongyu believes that the popularization of domestically produced brain pacemakers will usher in a new era of neuromodulation treatment.
Even after a brain pacemaker is implanted, MRI can be done without any problems.
Slow movement, stiff limbs, and tremors are symptoms that a 40-year-old should not have to endure. This early-onset Parkinson's disease unexpectedly became a "fetter" for Mr. Chen to live a normal life.
After thorough evaluation by Zhou Hongyu’s functional team, they decided to implant a new domestically produced brain pacemaker for Mr. Chen. Brain pacemaker therapy implants electrodes into the deep nerve nuclei of the brain to regulate abnormal electrical activity of neural circuits through electrical stimulation, relieve symptoms of movement disorders, and restore patients' ability to move.
It is reported that brain pacemakers have been updated and iterated many times. Traditional brain pacemakers have a service life of 20 years and are susceptible to interference from magnetic fields, which may cause risks. Therefore, they are prohibited from accepting high-field-strength 3.0T magnetic resonance scans when they are turned on. In the past, patients with implanted brain pacemakers could only receive a limited 1.5T MRI scan, and the pacemaker had to be turned off. Mr. Chen is still young and may need to undergo magnetic resonance examinations in the future, especially 3.0T magnetic resonance examinations. The new domestically produced brain pacemaker with an expected use life of 30 years is more suitable for him.
During the operation, the functional team worked closely with the imaging department and anesthesiology department to perform high-definition structural image positioning, intraoperative microelectrode recording and intraoperative CT verification in one go, and the electrodes were accurately implanted.
More intelligent, a new era of neural regulation is quietly coming
With the introduction of rechargeable and remotely programmable 3.0T magnetic resonance compatible brain pacemakers, a new era of neuromodulation has quietly arrived. The better news is that after the localization of brain pacemakers, the cost of treatment has dropped significantly. In addition, domestically produced equipment can be more "intelligent", and post-operative adjustment can be completed at home by connecting to the Internet. Frequency conversion technology is also a unique advantage of domestic equipment, which can greatly improve the midline symptoms of Parkinson's patients. The high-field magnetic resonance compatibility solves the previous clinical problem of patients with implanted brain pacemakers being unable to undergo 3.0T magnetic resonance examinations.
Zhou Hongyu introduced that neuromodulation technology is still being upgraded, progressing from open-loop to closed-loop. Intelligent perceptible devices can not only perform electrical stimulation treatment on the patient's brain, but also sense specific brain electrical signals and electrocardiographic signals related to disease symptoms in real time. , sensing patient position information, etc., and analyzing it with intelligent algorithms to provide patients with personalized and precise treatment.
Covering multiple fields, experts have drawn up a list of suitable groups of people
The indications for neuromodulation treatment cover multiple fields. In addition to Parkinson's disease, brain pacemaker devices can also be used for dystonia, essential tremor, drug-resistant epilepsy, intractable pain, refractory depression, etc. Disease treatment. Among them, patients with Parkinson's disease are the main candidates for brain pacemakers. Who is more suitable for brain pacemaker treatment?
Zhou Hongyu drew up a list of suitable groups for this purpose——
First, those with primary Parkinson's disease or hereditary Parkinson's disease, various genotypes of Parkinson's disease, and those who respond well to compound levodopa;
Second, when the efficacy of the drug has significantly diminished, or obvious motor complications occur that affect the patient's quality of life;
Third, when intolerable adverse drug reactions occur, affecting the efficacy of the drug;
Fourth, there are patients with tremor that cannot be controlled by medications.