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New Message Board Archives >> 2002 Posts >> have you heard about the implanted device?
(Message started by: chris_weav on Oct 1st, 2002, 8:01am)

Title: have you heard about the implanted device?
Post by chris_weav on Oct 1st, 2002, 8:01am
on ABCNews.com  there is an article about a man with chronic clusters receiving an implanted device in his head which blocked his occipital nerve and his headaches which were daily occurring, have ceased for 4 months.
this was in London,   when will they do it here?  I want to be in line.  Screw all these drugs,  Ill take the operation.

Chris weav

Title: Re: have you heard about the implanted device?
Post by SteveY on Oct 1st, 2002, 8:04am
Read new news topic in meds and treatments, there is already a thread there.

Steve

Title: Re: have you heard about the implanted device?
Post by Riccardo on Oct 1st, 2002, 8:24am
****** NOTE*******
this answer explain the Doc. Leone (Italy) procedure for CH.  Have nothing to do with the occipital nerve blockage....... Sorry
****************************************


Actually there are 8 implants (7 patients...1 with 2 implants - bilateral) in Italy.

One of the patient is Spanish. Last patient (an OUCH Italia female member) have had surgery last week.

In few words, they surgically insert an electrode in the middle of your hypothalamus, and connect it with an electric battery. The battery has a switch.
Seems that the electrical stimulation blocks the process of a CH attack.

ALL patients are pain free from the surgery, and 4 of these have had the electric "supply" disconnected (means they are P.F. without ANY meds or device)

The success is then 100%

But....there is always a but.....

- The operation have the same risk of a brain aneurysm surgery (this means high.... you have some.... few, OK ... possibilities to remain on a wheelchair..... without CH)

- They DON'T KNOW WHY it function (Sorry Doc Leone.... but is near the truth......:-) ) . It was a try, and a lucky try. They simply repeat the operations they did with the 1st one.

-Due to the risks, you have to be a chronic, with difficulties in meds treatment to have this operation

-The surgery (at present) can be done only in Italy.
Doc Leone have had some contacts with Doc Goadsby (UK) and with some Clinics in New York, but no definition at present.

Hope I have answered your questions (despite the bad English)

Ciao

Title: Re: have you heard about the implanted device?
Post by Mastifflvr28 on Oct 1st, 2002, 8:47am
Thank you for the info Riccardo!
Bad English??
WHATever!
:)
Mast

Title: Re: have you heard about the implanted device?
Post by Bob P on Oct 1st, 2002, 9:09am
I think these are 2 different things.

The device that stimulates the hypothalamus has been around for a while.

The one mentioned here stimulates the occipital nerve.

Dr. David Dodick did this one with the occipital nerve.  Dr. Robinson gave me Dodick's name at the convention.  I'll contact him and see if we can get more info.

Title: Re: have you heard about the implanted device?
Post by Riccardo on Oct 1st, 2002, 9:22am
OOOOPS!
You are right!
I have read the other post (In meds and treatments) about the occipital nerve, and I have thought this about the implant.

TY Bob  

Title: Re: have you heard about the implanted device?
Post by Ueli on Oct 1st, 2002, 10:07am
Talk about journalists meddling up everything; but the real mess is done by readers/watchers that only skim the reports or base their comment on hearsay and guesswork. >:(

From the Reuters release
Implanted Device Wipes Out Cluster Headaches to be found at
[url]http://reuters.com/news_article.jhtml?type=healthnews&StoryID=1501502
it follows:

The procedure in question was not done in England. Instead in London there was recently a Migraine Trust International Symposium, headed by Prof Goadsby.

On this symposium was a report from Dr. David Dodick of the Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, Arizona.
He told of a CH patient that had now 7 (not 4) month of relieve from a stimulator of the occipital nerve (which is easily accessible under the skin at back of the head). A stimulation of the occipital nerve suppresses the pain signals in the trigeminal nerve, as is known from other studies.

The work of Dr Massimo Leone is mentioned as well. The big difference is this: While Leone's implanting of electrodes to the hypothalamus involves risky and expensive brain surgery, the stimulator of Dodick is implanted just under the skin at the back of the head, something that probably can be done under local anesthesia in less than an hour, at much lower risk and cost than brain surgery.

PFNADs
Ueli

BTW, On ABCnews.com I could not find anything about this, but instead something how to cure 50 million meegrainers with a plastic tooth piece, duh.

BTW2, If the boards where not filled with tons of rubbish, where people quote each other ad nauseam, maybe the relevant stuff got read more and people had time to follow some links.

Title: Re: have you heard about the implanted device?
Post by LTBullitt on Oct 1st, 2002, 11:12am
This has CIA and NSA written all over it. :-X



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