Although the origin of functional neurosurgery was motivated by a need to improve psychosurgery, the first patient had a motor disorder (Huntington’s chorea).
There was even shown with a research team at the Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute, based at the University of West Virginia, about 10 miles away, across the state line from the Buckhalter home in Dilliner, Pennsylvania. Buckhalter was already a patient at the institute, where he was being treated by Dr. James Mahoney, a specialist in substance abuse as drug addiction help for patients.
Before the introduction of stereotactic techniques, the most common surgery for movement disorders involved resection of the motor or pre-motor cortex, since it was proposed as early as 1932 by Bucy and Buchanan for treatment of chorea.
Bucy also claimed relief of tremor after interruption of the pyramidal system, even though the procedure was fraught with severe post-operative deficits
In 1933, Putnam interrupted the proprioceptive input by posterolateral cordotomy in an attempt to lessen tremor and rigidity with less risk.
Hassler and Riechert reported in 1954 that they had successfully treated Parkinson’s disease as early as in 1952 by ventrolateral thalamotomy.
The introduction of levodopa in the 1960s led to a sharp decline in surgery for PD. It was not until a few decades later, when the long-term complications of levodopa became apparent, that interest was rekindled in movement disorder surgery.
Many technical advances were made in the interim. The use of computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) supplanted Ventriculography for target localization. The use of microelectrode recording (MER) became more prevalent and provided an additional method for target confirmation and even the better targets for DBS were identified.
Till now hundreds and thousands of patients with various movement and psychiatric patients have benefitted from DBS surgery in the world.
ANFN team will provide treatment facilities to people from all over Pakistan and also people from across the borders. ANFN is offering treatment to patients of Parkinson disease, Essential tremors, Dystonia & Tourrete syndrome. The center is aslo intending to provide treatment to patients other than movement disorders including Intractable epilepsy, Severe spasticity & Chronic pain. Prof Shahzad Shams and his team took initiative to address the neglected but vital aspect of Neurosurgery in Pakistan. It will be great service to humanity & especially to the people of Pakistan.