Deep brain stimulation program
Make an appointment
Please call (804) 828-2456 to schedule an appointment.
Deep brain stimulation (DBS) related services and continuing care are offered at the VCU Parkinson's and Movement Disorders Center through VCU's Functional neurosurgery program. Dr. Kathryn Holloway and her team provide evaluation for deep brain stimulation (DBS) and DBS surgery with or without post-operative follow-up care and programming.
DBS surgery is performed for the treatment of the following conditions:
• Parkinson’s disease (PD)
• Essential tremor (ET)
• Dystonia (cervical dystonia, genetic, primary, tardive dyskinesia)
• Others - Tourette’s syndrome, depression, obsessive compulsive disorder
Director
Dr. Kathryn Holloway, Program Director, is an experienced neurosurgeon with expertise in movement disorders. She has completed over 300 deep brain stimulation surgeries, and performs 50 surgeries per year. Dr. Holloway was part of the team that developed and researched the frameless DBS technology.
Our care team
Our interdisciplinary care team includes:
- Neurologist - evaluation of diagnosis, stage of disease
- Neuropsychologist – assessment of cognitive functioning to rule out significant dementia
- Neurosurgeon - reviews surgery process and procedures, evaluation of patient's general health, performs surgery
- Nursing - Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) programming and care coordination
DBS process
The evaluation process begins with an informational appointment, followed by evaluation, surgery and post-operative care.
Resources
- Dystonia Medical Research Foundation - Deep Brain Stimulation information
- International Essential Tremor Foundation - surgical treatments
- National Parkinson's Foundation - information on deep brain stimulation
- NIH - National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
- Parkinson's Disease Foundation - Deep Brain Stimulation for Parkinson's Disease guide
- What is DBS?
