About DBS Therapy

Medtronic Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) Therapy for essential tremor has a favourable safety profile and is an effective¹ way to treat many of the most disabling aspects of essential tremor. The therapy uses an implanted device to stimulate the brain with mild electrical stimulation, blocking the signals that cause the symptoms.

What Is It?

DBS for essential tremor control is a surgical treatment that has been proven to reduce the severity of the tremor in your arms and hands associated with essential tremor (ET).²
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Our DBS Therapy Products

Neurostimulators are typically implanted beneath the skin near the collarbone. They generate minute electrical pulses and deliver them through tunnelled extensions and leads to targeted areas of the brain. Each DBS lead has four small electrodes at its tip that can be independently activated to precisely deliver the stimulation to the chosen target.
More: Activa PC Neurostimulator
More: Activa RC Neurostimulator
More: Soletra Neurostimulator
More: Kinetra Neurostimulator
More: Activa Patient Programmer
More: Access Patient Controller (Kinetra)
More: Access Review Patient Controller (Soletra)

Benefits and Risks

DBS Therapy uses a surgically implanted medical device, similar to a cardiac pacemaker, to deliver minute electrical stimulation to precisely targeted areas within the brain.

DBS has been proven to reduce some of the motor symptoms associated with Parkinson's disease.³ Medtronic DBS Therapy is currently approved to treat Parkinson’s disease, essential tremor, and dystonia. Since 1997, more than 55,000 patients worldwide have benefited from Medtronic DBS Therapy.⁴
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Personal Stories

Read about the experiences of people who have received our products and therapies. You’ll learn first-hand what life was like for these particular patients, both before and after treatment.
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References

Zesiewicz TA, Elble R, Louis ED, et al. Practice parameter: therapies for essential tremor: report of the Quality Standards Subcommittee of the American Academy of Neurology. Neurology. 2005;64:2008-2020.
Schuurman PR, Bosch DA, Bossuyt PMM, et al. A comparison of continuous thalamic stimulation and thalamotomy for suppression of severe tremor. N Engl J Med. 2000;342:461-468.
Activa Therapy Clinical Summary, 2003.
Data on file at Medtronic, Inc.

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Information on this site should not be used as a substitute for talking with your doctor. Always talk with your doctor about diagnosis and treatment information.

Last updated: 16 Mar 2009