This image has been used for illustrative purpose.

Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, part of Mubadala’s healthcare network, is now evaluating Parkinson’s disease patients in the UAE to determine those who could benefit from deep brain stimulation, an advanced surgical procedure that uses electrodes implanted into specific parts of the brain to reduce tremors, stiffness, slowness and other symptoms of Parkinson’s disease.

"Motor problems caused by Parkinson’s disease can hugely affect a person’s quality of life. Once we begin delivering pulses to the part of the brain responsible for causing them, the improvements can be quick. Patients can regain significant control of their movement, allowing them to get back to activities they never thought they’d be able to do again,” says Dr. Florian Roser, Chair of the Neurological Institute at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi.

Globally, an estimated seven to 10 million people worldwide are living with Parkinson’s disease and this is expected to rise significantly in the coming years. Deep brain stimulation uses electrodes implanted into specific parts of the brain to reduce tremors by blocking the rogue signals that cause them. The complex surgery can significantly improve patients’ quality of life.

Following surgery, deep brain stimulation requires programming by a multidisciplinary team of movement disorder specialists to maintain and fine-tune the implant, to get the best individual results for each patient.

In order to introduce the complex surgery to the UAE, physicians at the hospital worked closely with their colleagues at Cleveland Clinic in Ohio, which has more than twenty years of experience in the field, performing more than 150 deep brain stimulation surgeries per year.

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Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi’s dedicated team of physicians already monitors a number of deep brain stimulation patients who had their surgery abroad. The introduction of the surgery in Abu Dhabi means that patients in the UAE will now be able to receive life-changing treatment closer to home, benefiting from an expert care team that follows them through every step of their care.

"Our team in Ohio has extensive experience in surgery for the treatment of Parkinson’s disease and other movement disorders. We are developing a close collaboration with Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi to support the implementation of deep brain stimulation in the UAE,” says Dr. Andre Machado, Chair of the Neurological Institute at Cleveland Clinic.

To schedule an appointment or for more information, download the Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi Health Portal app, visit the App Store or Google Play Store, call 800 CCAD (2223) or visit ClevelandClinicAbuDhabi.ae.