I used to work closely with a group of orthopedic surgeons. They were more trained and specialized than many orthopedic surgeons. They had all done fellowships in a specific discipline. The hand surgeon only did hands and arms, and the foot surgeon only worked on feet and ankles. Our joint replacement surgeon never would have thought to perform a shoulder surgery or carpal tunnel repair. They took pride in being 'super-specialists.'ť When other surgeons could not fix something, they often referred it to one of these super-specialists. From time to time, I met people who underwent surgeries performed by other surgeons who were not well-trained or practiced in the particular procedure. The patients were disappointed and angry. They were often in pain, too.
There is a debate in health care about the value of the super-specialist. Should you go to a general surgeon, or a urologist? Should I have my internist look at the moles on my back, or should I go to a dermatologist? Within the last few years there have been studies comparing the results of vascular surgeons versus general surgeons on certain procedures.
The point:
If you are having deep brain stimulation surgery, there is a new study being published in September's Archives of Neurology that found that patients tend to have better results after their DBS surgery when they go to neurologists specifically trained to help DBS patients. Naturally, within the neurology world there is a debate about whether people with Parkinson's should go to a movement disorders specialist, or a general neurologist.
This story will provide you with more details on the study.
If an individual goes through four years of medical school, and completes a three-year residency in neurology, shouldn't that be enough to assure a doctor can program your DBS pacemaker, and manage your needs after the surgery? Seven years of training is very compelling. However, neurologists work with complex patients suffering from a wide variety of conditions. Strokes, multiple sclerosis, and epilepsy are all common conditions treated by neurologists. They are also different from Parkinson's disease.
Each city or town will have a different mix of neurologists. It is important you choose one with experience in helping patients after DBS surgery.
