Movement Disorders

Christopher Duma, MD, FACS

Neurosurgeon & Brain Tumor Specialist located in Newport Beach, CA

The surgical management of a movement disorder such as Parkinson’s disease is a specialty of board-certified neurosurgeon Christopher Duma, MD, FACS. At his Newport Beach, California, neurosurgery practice, Dr. Duma offers a variety of surgical treatments for movement disorders. He underwent fellowship training in techniques like thalamotomies, deep brain stimulator implantations, and fetal tissue transplantations. If you need an accurate diagnosis or surgical treatment for a movement disorder, schedule a consultation with Dr. Duma today by calling the office or by requesting an appointment online now.

949-989-5894

Movement Disorders Q & A

What is a movement disorder?

A movement disorder is a neurological condition that affects your movements, often interfering with your speed and ease of movement. There are several types of movement disorders that Dr. Duma can diagnose and treat, including:

Ataxia

Ataxia is a movement disorder that causes jerky movements in the body, clumsiness, and a lack of coordination. This condition can also affect the quality of speech.

Dystonia

Dystonia is a condition that causes uncontrollable muscle contractions, muscle twisting, and involuntary and repetitive movements.

Essential tremors

The most common movement disorder, essential tremors usually affect the hands and arms and cause uncontrollable rhythmic shaking motions. As the condition worsens, muscle movements become more rapid, causing severe flapping motions.

Parkinson’s disease

One of the primary causes of neurological disabilities in people over 60, Parkinson’s disease causes tremors in the hands and arms that usually begin on one side of the body and progress to the other side in just a few years.

Many symptoms of movement disorders are worsened by stress, anxiety, or fatigue.

How are movement disorders diagnosed?

Using the latest diagnostic technologies, Dr. Duma can determine if your abnormal movements relate to a movement disorder or some other underlying medical condition.

To identify the cause of your symptoms, Dr. Duma may recommend testing like:

MRI
CT scan
PET scan

Once Dr. Duma understands the root cause of your irregular movements and other symptoms, he creates a treatment plan to alleviate symptoms and restore your neurological health.

What treatments are available for a movement disorder?

In many cases, the first step in treating a movement disorder is with medications. However, when medication therapy isn’t enough to address your symptoms, Dr. Duma may recommend surgery.

There are several options for surgical treatment of a movement disorder, including:

Deep brain implantation

Deep brain stimulator implantation is a procedure to implant a battery-operated neurostimulator device that delivers electric charges to areas of the brain. These charges disrupt signals that cause abnormal movements.

Ablation procedures

Dr. Duma uses an ablation procedure that destroys tissue using a heated probe or the innovative Gamma Knife®. Destroying tissue in the globus pallidus part of the brain is known as a pallidotomy, and the destruction of thalamus brain tissue is known as a thalamotomy.

Cryothalamotomy

A procedure similar to the ablation technique that destroys brain tissue, cryothalamotomy uses cold energy to freeze brain tissue that produces tremors.

Depending on the type of disorder you have and the severity of your symptoms, Dr. Duma can determine which treatment is right for the best possible outcome.

Schedule a diagnostic consultation with Dr. Duma to learn more about treating movement disorders. You can book an appointment online or by calling the office today.

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