Australian national Benjamin Ward underwent a Deep Brain Stimulation Surgery (DBS) to cure his severe grade depression on September 25 at Jaslok Hospital on Peddar Road. This is the first surgery of its kind ever to be conducted in Asia and Australia. So far, only 67 surgeries have been documented in the medical literature worldwide, and were conducted in Europe, Canada and the US. Mr Ward, who suffered from treatment resistant depression (TDR), had tried every possible therapy accessible for cure, but his condition didn’t improve. Two years ago, Mr Ward and his parents learnt about DBS as a possible cure for his affliction, but it wasn’t available in their country and US, Europe and Canada would not accept a foreign national patient. When drugs failed, he was advised electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). He took several cycles of ECT and even transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), but all resulted in little benefits. “On detailed review, we found that Benjamin was suffering from treatment resistant major depressive disorder. We felt that he was an ideal candidate for area 25 DBS which is presently being done only in a few selected centres all over the world. Benjamin’s reports revealed that he is suffering from severe grade depression,” said Dr Paresh Doshi, director of neurosurgery, who performed the surgery on Mr Ward. Dr Doshi consulted a panel of two psychiatrists, two neurosurgeons, and a neurologist. Explaining the surgery, Dr Doshi said, “DBS targets a small brain structure known as Area 25, the ‘ringleader’ for the brain circuits that control our moods. The surgery involves implantation of a small stimulating electrode into the Subhenual Cingulate Gyrus area of the brain. The electrodes are powered by a battery powered device that will generate the stimulation.” When asked if Mr Ward’s parents saw any noticeable change in their son, father Colin Ward said, “So far so good. We are waiting to see how he responds to the treatment over a period of time.” Mr Ward is set for discharge on Thursday.
