Banner Boswell Medical Center in Sun City is just one of four centers in Arizona offering deep brain stimulation, a surgical therapy approved by the Food and Drug Administration to treat some of symptoms associated with Parkinson’s disease or essential tremor.

Neurosurgeon David Pootrakul, MD, and Banner Boswell’s neurosurgical team have been performing deep brain stimulation since 2004. In the largest study of its kind published in the Jan. 7 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, researchers concluded that deep brain stimulation improves both physical function and quality of life after six months in patients with Parkinson’s disease.

“In the appropriate patients, DBS can take Parkinson’s back about five years earlier to the ‘honeymoon’ phase of the disease where it was manageable with medication,” according to Holly Shill, MD, neurologist and movement disorders specialist at Banner Boswell.

Before undergoing deep brain stimulation surgery in December 2008, David Hall, 61, described the worst of his Parkinson’s disease symptoms and medication side effects as “death and dying spells.” Diagnosed with Parkinson’s in 2002, Hall continued his work as a neonatologist in Phoenix until the symptoms of the disease forced him to retire in 2005. The disease caused stiffness and pain in Hall’s left leg, and had significantly limited his coordination and mobility. The medication took its toll too, taking away his appetite, interfering with his sleep and robbing him of his ability to function normally.

Now, just three months after his surgery, he reports markedly reduced pain, has been sleeping better and has been able to reduce his daily medication intake by two thirds. He and his wife of 31 years, Lynda, a retired nurse practitioner, thoroughly researched his options before deciding to try deep brain stimulation.

“My goals for the surgery were to have more comfort, better mobility, and at least a 50 percent reduction in medications,” Hall said. “It’s important to be realistic about your goals and outcomes. Parkinson’s is a progressive, treatable – but not curable – illness. You reassess your life, goals and expectations. This is not like having your teeth cleaned. It’s major surgery and I was well prepared.”

Hall’s story isn’t unique. Sun City resident John DePesa, 75, underwent deep brain stimulation in 2005 to lessen the uncontrollable shaking he experienced in his arms due to essential tremor, a neurological condition that is estimated to affect 10 million Americans.

“Until you’ve gone through it, you can’t begin to grasp how frustrating the shaking is,” DePesa said. Diagnosed in his twenties, the tremors became so severe in his early sixties that DePesa’s ability to live a normal life vanished. It was nearly impossible to do everyday tasks like cutting his food, testing his blood sugar, or even signing his name. DePesa says the surgery changed his life. “I feel fantastic. Completely different. I don’t even take medication anymore for the tremors.”

For more information on deep brain stimulation