Ground-breaking non-invasive procedure introduced to treat depression and other conditions at Milpark Hospital
PARKTOWN – Netcare Milpark Hospital has introduced a ground-breaking out-patient procedure to treat conditions including depression, anxiety, tinnitus and neurological injury.
Netcare Milpark Hospital in Parktown has introduced a new ground-breaking non-invasive procedure known as transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) to treat conditions including depression and anxiety for the first time in South Africa.
TMS uses a magnetic charge to either excite or depress targeted areas of the brain. Doctors can use special MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) sequences to observe brain networks and develop sophisticated computer-generated brain function maps for individuals to be used to plan TMS treatment.
The Gazette spoke to neurosurgeon and head of the new Connectomix treatment centre at Netcare Milpark Hospital Dr Christos Profyris to find out more.
“We have 100 billion brain cells, each one connected to other nerve cells on average 20 000 times. This creates enormous complexity that cannot be accounted for by our current models of understanding brain function, many of which are 130 years old,” he said .
He explained that since the launch of the Human Connectome Project, more detailed brain maps have been developed, giving new insights into the way in which the brain functions. Dr Profyris completed a brain tumour fellowship in keyhole brain tumour surgery in Sydney, Australia where he developed a great interest in advanced brain mapping and the possibility of using TMS as a therapy for neurological and psychiatric conditions, before returning to South Africa last year.
He explained that depending on the condition, TMS has a success rate of between 30 and 50 per cent, but where it does work, it can be life-changing.
He said that in the United States, TMS is used in the mainstream for the treatment of conditions including depression and anxiety.
At Milpark Hospital, Dr Profyris said that some patients with depression have experienced relief and the ability to return to work again following TMS, while others have experienced relief from tinnitus. He also said a patient with neurological injury has been able to walk again and regain strength in his right side.
Dr Profyris said that the procedure, which is administrated on an out-patient basis over a few days, has minimal side effects, offering a new option for patients with depression who have not experienced relief using medication.
General manager at the hospital Marc van Heerden said, “Netcare Milpark Hospital is delighted to have partnered with such a pioneering medical practitioner as Dr Profyris to bring this treatment to South African for the first time.”
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