Activa for tremor

[Guest guest]

, while I haven't had surgery for tremors, I did some research

awhile back on Activa impants. Here is an article I wrote last year. ~

Gretchen

Activa: A New Treatment for Tremors

By Gretchen Glick

A 2001 Yale University study found 30-50% of CMT persons have what is

called " essential tremor " . Persons with shaky hands and arms often have

difficulties in eating, drinking, writing, dressing, and bathing.

Treatment for these tremors is usually oral medication, including

Primidone and Mysoline. Sometimes anti-depressants (like Elavil) or

anti-anxiety agents (like Ativan) are also prescribed. But for people

who do not respond to these medications, there is Activa.

Activa is a neurostimulator implanted within the human body. This is an

insulated wire lead that is surgically implanted deep within the

thalamus, the brain's communication center. The lead is connected by an

extension wire passed under the skin to an implanted pulse generator,

(similar to an advanced cardiac pacemaker), which is implanted near the

collarbone.

Chief of Staff Byron Young, M.D., at the University of Kentucky

Hospital., implanted the first successful Activa Tremor Control Deep

Brain Stimulator (DBS) device for tremor control in December 1997.

During implantation surgery the patient remains awake and responds to

questions and commands from the doctor and surgical team as they attempt

to find the correct placement of the lead's electrodes in the brain's

thalamus. The improvement in tremor control is immediate when the

correct location is found.

Patients control the stimulation by passing a hand-held magnet over the

implanted pulse generator to turn it on or off, or to increase or

decrease stimulation depending on their tremor suppression needs. To

achieve maximum tremor suppression, physicians program the generator to

deliver the precise stimulation needed for each individual affected

person.

Activa is battery powered. Physicians " read " the device with a

programmer at patients' regular appointments and can determine how much

battery life is available. The average battery lasts about seven years.

Based on each individual patient setting, physicians can give their

patients good estimates on battery life. Once the battery expires, a new

Activa device is installed in a hospital setting.

The size of the Activa Neurostimulator is 55mm X 10mm and weighs about

42 g.

The total cost of Activa Therapy ranges from $25,000 to $30,000 (U.S.)

on average for the device and associated physician and hospital fees.

Activa Tremor Control Therapy is approved nationwide (in the U.S.) by

Medicare and is covered by most private insurers as well. The U.S. Food

and Drug Administration approved Activa for tremor control in January

2002.

Medtronic, the maker of Activa, reports more than 25,000 persons

worldwide have been implanted with the tremor suppressing device. This

includes persons with Parkinson's, Dystonia and general Essential

Tremor. However, statistics are not currently available on how many

persons with CMT have received Activa. Medtronic estimates the number of

persons in the United States that may be candidates for Activa to be

5,000.

Copyright 2003 TGBGT