Inside Pediatrics Spring/Summer 2024

“Until Dr. Gantz arrived at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, we didn’t have a movement disorder neurologist here who also had training and experience with deep brain stimulation,” Rozzelle said. “When Dr. Gantz arrived, she opened the door for us to be able to perform the technical aspects of the surgical procedure. Now, we’ve done several.” CURTIS ROZZELLE, M.D.

Emily Gantz, M.D.

Not every child is an ideal candidate for DBS. The decision to initiate DBS is patient-specific, based on the severity of symptoms and the inadequacy of other treatments. A careful evaluation of each patient’s unique situation, including factors such as genetic mutations and the progression of the disease, must be completed before offering DBS surgery. Each deep brain stimulation procedure at Children’s uses stereotactic surgical techniques and the ClearPoint targeting system. This system, employed in an MRI scanner, ensures safe, precise electrode placement in the globus pallidus interna (GPI), a key target for treating progressive dystonia.

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