DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 7 February) – The Department of Neurosurgery at the government-run Southern Philippines Medical Center (SPMC) performed on Saturday the country’s first adaptive sensing-enabled Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) procedure.
The procedure was done on a patient diagnosed with X-linked dystonia-parkinsonism (XDP), also known as Lubag Disease, a rare genetic ailment affecting male individuals originating from Panay, an island in the Visayas.
Dr. Jose Nicanor P. Del Rosario, chair of the Institute of Neuroscience at SPMC, told reporters in an interview that SPMC is the first medical institution in the Philippines capable of performing a DBS procedure using the latest technology developed by Medtronic.
He explained that a DBS, which he described as “similar to a pacemaker in the heart,” involves implanting electrodes deep in the brain to modulate dysfunctional neural circuits.
“The deep brain stimulation, as mentioned earlier, has electrodes. It’s like a wire that can generate electricity. We have a generator implanted here, and then the electrode is placed deep inside the brain, so essentially it will fire as necessary, and it will last for 10 years,” he said.
He said experts from Cardinal Santos Medical Center in Metro Manila had flown to Davao to assist SPMC doctors.
The team of doctors who performed the surgery consisted of Dr. Jose Aguilar, Dr. Theodor Vesagas, Dr. Levi Maliwat, and Dr. Joselv Albano.
“The objective is for us to be able to continue doing the procedure for our constituents because again, there is a large number,” he said.
He said the first Lubag Disease patient to undergo a DBS procedure at the SPMC was a 39-year-old nurse from South Cotabato who had worked in Dubai.
He noted that many settlers in South Cotabato migrated from Panay, which he said explains why there are several cases of Lubag Disease in the province.
The patient, he said, developed abdominal contractions and then progressed to dystonia about two years ago.
“It’s pretty advanced, he’s wheelchair-bound, and he’s in pain, losing significant weight. Basically, he is suffering,” he said.
The disease is unique to the people of Panay due to a genetic mutation, Del Rosario said.
He said the patient’s ancestry was traced to Panay.
According to a briefer released to the media, Lubag is a genetic condition seen mostly in Filipinos.
It stated that brain circuits controlling movement, especially those involving the basal ganglia, malfunction, leading to dystonia, characterized by sustained twisting and abnormal postures, as well as Parkinsonism, which includes slowness, stiffness, and a shuffling gait.
Del Rosario said that patients become fully functional after the procedure.
“There is a genetic mutation that can be transferred through male individuals. They appear normal at first, but later in middle age, they develop this illness, which causes significant disability. They are dysfunctional, in short. If the procedure is successful, they can return to their normal lives, and they become fully independent,” he said.
He added that around 80 patients from different parts of Mindanao are scheduled to receive the DBS procedure at the SPMC. (Antonio L. Colina IV/MindaNews)
