Clinical Programs / Functional and Movement Disorders Program
UCLA Functional and Movement Disorders Program
The goal of the UCLA Functional Neurosurgery Program and Neurosurgical Movement Disorders program is to implement cutting-edge surgical solutions to improve patients' quality of life. The cornerstones of our program are:
- Comprehensive management
- Advanced techniques
- Individualized care
- Research and Innovation
Advanced Techniques
The UCLA Functional Neurosurgery Program and Neurosurgical Movement Disorders Program have a long and rich history of using cutting edge technology to treat functional disorders.
- Our faculty began doing Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) surgery in Europe long before it was ever approved in the United States. Since then, our faculty have implanted over 600 DBS leads for Parkinson's disease, tremor, dystonia, pain, headaches, and many other indications.
- UCLA was among the first centers in the country to regularly use MR-guided DBS placement.
- UCLA now uses intraoperative CT so that the patient never has to leave the operating room on the day of surgery.
- UCLA was the first center in Southern California to implant the new Implantable Pulse Generators (IPG) introduced by Medtronic in 2009.
These are just a few examples of innovations that keep the UCLA Functional Neurosurgery Program and the Neurosurgical Movement disorders program ahead of others.
- The techniques we use include but are not limited to:
Comprehensive Management
The UCLA Functional Neurosurgery Program and Neurosurgical Movement Disorders Program offer comprehensive surgical management of the following conditions:
- Movement disorders
- Spasticity
- Due to spinal cord injury
- Due to head injury
- Due to cerebral palsy
- Pain
The Team: The expert team of neurosurgeons work in consultation with a world-renowned team of neurologists, psychiatrists, anesthesiologists, and pain management doctors to make sure that all medical options have been explored and that surgery is appropriate.
Imaging Technology: UCLA's imaging capability ensure that your surgery will be as accurate, precise, and pain-free as possible. Our powerful 3-Tesla MRI scanner allows us to precisely visualize the parts of the brain we are targeting. Our intraoperative CT scanner makes it possible to perform the entire surgical implantation without ever having the patient leave the operating room.
Programming: For patients who are treated with DBS, programming is a critical component of the postoperative care. UCLA's expert team of programmers will either work with your doctor to make sure you are programmed optimally or have you come in to UCLA to optimize your settings. For more information on programming, call 310-206-2536.
Individualized Care
Surgery may not be right for everyone. The history, needs, and expectations of each patient are considered before recommending surgical therapies. We want to make sure you know what to expect before, during, and after surgical therapy to make sure that it is right for you.
Research and Innovation
Our program has helped advance the neurosurgical treatment of movement disorders by participating in national studies and publishing over 150 peer-reviewed articles the neurosurgical and neurological literature. Past trials have included transplantation of neural tissues and engineered cells.
Current areas of active research include:
- Treatment for obsessive-compulsive disorder
- Treatment of medically-refractory obesity
- Design of newer and more precise electrodes for Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS)
- Using new technologies, such as Focused Ultrasound, to treat movement disorders
- Trials for epilepsy
- And many more...
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