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For years, 71-year-old Clyde Patterson lived with the
tremors of Parkinson's disease, which he was diagnosed
with in 2021. This summer, he became the first patient
at Covenant Medical Center to undergo a new treatment
called deep brain stimulation (DBS), and life looks steadier
than it has in a long time.
DBS is a surgical procedure that involves implanting
wires, or electrodes, in the brain and using safe and mild
electrical impulses to stimulate them. This stimulation
eases irregular body movements that can interfere with
how a patient moves naturally and what they do in
everyday life.
Patterson underwent his first procedure to implant
the stimulator on June 30 and his second procedure to
implant the battery to keep his stimulator working on
July 14. Since receiving DBS, Patterson says his tremors
have improved significantly and are no longer as severe.
Covenant Medical Center is the only hospital in West
Texas and eastern New Mexico offering this treatment
for patients. The program is led by Neurologist Dr. Katie
Hendley and Neurosurgeon Dr. Robert Scranton.
"Thankfully we are part of an organization that supports
expanding the services we can offer our patients and bring
back their quality of life," said Dr. Katie Hendley. "Any
time that we can improve tremors, the way people move
and the way they live, giving them more time with family,
more time to travel, it improves their overall health and
A Steadier Life for Patients With
Parkinson's & Epilepsy
Deep brain stimulation now available at Covenant Medical Center
"Thankfully we are part of an
organization that supports
expanding the services we can
offer our patients and bring back
their quality of life."
– Dr. Katie Hendley, neurologist
wellness. We're grateful to be able to provide new therapies
and new techniques to our toolbox."
Our team uses DBS to treat patients with conditions
including dystonia, epilepsy, essential tremor, Parkinson's
disease, and seizures.
For many people, DBS can be the difference between
declining and regaining control of their lives. DBS allows
many patients to resume some of the most routine aspects
of daily life, such as feeding themselves, and enjoying
hobbies and social activities again. Some patients have
even been able to reduce their medications enough to ease
side effects like nausea.
This fall, we will expand DBS services to also include
procedures to help patients with epilepsy. Stay tuned for
those stories in our upcoming issues.
