CLEVELAND: The Cleveland Clinic has performed the first deep brain stimulation surgery for stroke recovery.
The hospital is conducting a clinical trial assessing the procedure’s potential to improve movement in patients recovering from stroke.
“If this research succeeds, it is a new hope for patients that have suffered a stroke and have remained paralyzed after a stroke,” Dr. Andre Machado, chairman of the Clinic’s Neurological Institute, said in a prepared statement. “It is an opportunity to allow our patients to rehabilitate and gain function and therefore gain independence. Our knowledge to date shows that deep brain stimulation can help the brain reorganize, can help the brain adapt, beyond what physical therapy alone can do.”
Stroke is the leading cause of long-term disabilities in the United States. The six-hour surgery, led by Machado, was performed Dec. 19.