50-yr-old recovers from neuro disorder with novel implant

50-yr-old recovers from neuro disorder with novel implant

Fifty-year-old Kishor Nikhar is a lucky man. For four years, he suffered from a neurological disorder which was misdiagnosed as Parkinson’s disease. However, after undergoing bilateral deep brain stimulation (DBS) for his condition, he is on the path to recovery. According to doctors, the disorder started with a difficulty in writing. “It started in November 2008. I found out that I had no control over my handwriting,” said Nikhar, who hails from Trivandrum and works as an engineer in Oman. It slowly turned into a condition where it became increasingly difficult for him to even walk. “I would suddenly freeze. It would take me a while to start walking again,” Nikhar added. Nikhar went to three doctors, all of whom said he was suffering from Parkinson’s and gave medications to treat the same, in vain. Someone then suggested that he visit Jaslok Hospital, which he did. Dr Paresh Doshi, who operated on Nikhar, said, “We found he was suffering from progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP).” PSP is caused due to the degeneration of a particular nucleus in the brain stem, which happens as a person gets old. Nikhar is now the third reported patient in the world to have undergone bilateral DBS, in which doctors placed electrodes in the affected area. Nikhar is getting better. “I can walk long stretches without freezing. With time and practice, I’ll be able to overcome glitches,” said Nikhar.