Parkinson’s patient plays clarinet during brain surgery

A Parkinson’s diligent played the clarinet portion undergoing surgery, allowing doctors to see, and hear, contiguous results.

Denise Bacon, 65, showed instant betterment successful her digit movements arsenic surgeons stimulated her encephalon with an electrical current.

The retired code and connection therapist, from Crowborough, East Sussex, underwent heavy encephalon stimulation (DBS) aft suffering Parkinson's symptoms, successful a four-hour cognition astatine London's King's College Hospital

These symptoms included slowness of movement, rigidity and musculus stiffness.

She had been diagnosed successful 2014 and it has impacted her quality to walk, swim, creation and play her clarinet.

But the cognition led to instant improvements successful her fingers, which allowed her to play the clarinet easily.

Ms Bacon underwent a four-hour cognition astatine King's College Hospital, wherever surgeons performed DBS to relieve the symptoms portion she was awake.

'I'm already experiencing improvements'

DBS, which is suitable for patients with disorders similar Parkinson's, is simply a surgical process that allows that uses electrodes implanted successful the brain.

Ms Bacon, who played clarinet successful the East Grinstead Concert Band up until 5 years agone but gave up due to the fact that of her symptoms, was fixed a section anaesthetic to numb her scalp and skull.

She said: "I retrieve my close manus being capable to determination with overmuch much easiness erstwhile the stimulation was applied, and this successful crook improved my quality to play the clarinet, which I was delighted with.

"I'm already experiencing improvements successful my quality to walk, and I'm keen to get backmost successful the swimming pool, and connected the creation level to spot if my abilities person improved there."

'Holes fractional the size of a 5 pence piece'

Keyoumars Ashkan, a prof of neurosurgery who performed the procedure, said: "Holes fractional the size of a 5 pence portion were made successful Denise's skull aft a framework with precise co-ordinates was placed connected Denise's head, acting arsenic a sat nav to usher america to the close positions wrong the encephalon to implant the electrode.

"Once the electrodes were successful spot connected the near broadside of Denise's brain, the existent was switched connected and an contiguous betterment was noted successful manus movements connected her close side.

"The aforesaid happened connected her near broadside erstwhile we implanted electrodes connected the close broadside of her brain.

"As a keen clarinettist, it was suggested Denise bring her clarinet into the operating theatre to spot whether the process would amended her quality to play, which was 1 of Denise's main goals for the surgery.

"We were delighted to spot an instant betterment successful her manus movements, and truthful her quality to play, erstwhile stimulation was delivered to the brain."