Neurological care

Medical City Fort Worth earned the Comprehensive Stroke Center Certification from DNV GL and was the first Fort Worth hospital to offer a dedicated stroke program, which involves rapid diagnosis and treatment from the acute event to rehabilitative services.

Our stroke program has received multiple accreditations and certifications. We are proud to offer advanced, rapid care when you need it most.

Sometimes, strokes can be prevented. Although you can't control all of your risk factors for stroke—such as age, gender and family history—some personal risk factors can be managed.

DBS is a proven treatment for many neurological conditions. This surgical treatment is often prescribed after medications are proven ineffective at controlling a patient's symptoms.

DBS could be described as "a pacemaker for the brain." Electrodes are implanted in the brain to deliver controlled electrical impulses to targeted brain cells for the treatment of movement disorders, such as essential tremors, Parkinson’s disease (PD) and dystonia. Since the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved DBS in 1997, the procedure has quickly become the most common surgical treatment to relieve tremors.

Patients may want to consider DBS when their medications are working but not working as well as they once did. Signs that medication performance has diminished include:

• Movement symptoms, such as tremor and stiffness, are experienced more often
• Medications take longer to work
• Medication effects wear off between doses
• Medications need to be taken more often
• A higher dose is required to get the same effect
• Medication side effects are becoming problematic

DBS will not cure the underlying disease, but it may help lessen symptoms. Some patients may still need medications. Here is what to expect during the DBS process:

• Evaluation— A neurologist or movement disorder neurologist will examine you to determine whether DBS is a safe and appropriate option.
• Surgery— DBS involves two different procedures. During the first procedure, a small wire is placed in your head. This procedure typically lasts a few hours. During the second procedure, your surgeon implants the pulse generator device (similar to a pacemaker) under the skin in your chest near the collarbone.
• Programming— After surgery, your pulse generator will be activated in your neurologist’s office. The settings and amount of stimulation are fine-tuned to achieve the best outcomes for each patient. After implantation, most patients' medications are reduced to optimize the DBS system for each patient’s needs.

For more information on DBS, contact our DBS navigator at (817) 609-6206