World's Smallest Neurostimulator ‘Brio’ Gets Green Light

[jayanthi mandhalapu]

The Brio, the smallest, longest-lasting rechargeable deep brain stimulator (DBS), aims to provide treatment for the symptoms of Parkinson's disease. St. Jude Medical says that the Brio neurostimulator which has just earned CE Mark approval has been implanted on a 67-year-old man suffering from Parkinson's disease, for the first time.

The Brio neurostimulator weighs 1 ounce and is 10mm thick. Its creator claims that one battery is supposed to survive a decade of recharging.

Dr. Volker Sturm, chairman of neurosurgery at the University Hospital of Cologne says, "Deep brain stimulation therapy is often the preferred treatment for many Parkinson's disease patients. For these patients, device size and longevity are important considerations. The small size of the Brio neurostimulator is a real improvement and was a good choice for this patient."

Sturm's colleague, Dr. Mohammad Maarouf, implanted the Brio at the University Hospital of Cologne. The neurostimulator is yet to be approved for use in the U.S.

Parkinson's which is considered to be  a movement disorder, can result in muscle rigidity, tremors, slower physical movements, and even a total loss of physical movement.