At the Functional Neurosurgery & Movement Disorders Clinic at Fakeeh University Hospital in Dubai, Prof. Tufo provides advanced neurosurgical treatments for patients with severe movement disorders, epilepsy, tremors and chronic pain management when these conditions have resisted other forms of treatment.
Prof. Tufo is one of the leading functional neurosurgeons in Europe in performing surgeries such as Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS), endoscopic third ventriculostomy, shunt surgery, and surgical lesion across and the most experienced Neurosurgeon in the Middle East in this area of expertise.
What Is Functional Neurosurgery?
Functional neurosurgery involves the restoration of neurological conditions and function or the management of chronic pain that interrupts a person’s day-to-day function of abilities. Prof. Tufo treats chronic neurological disorders with various techniques, including highly focused neuromodulation and deep brain stimulation. This represents one of the most rapidly growing specialisations in the field of neurosurgery, providing great hope for patients with previously untreatable neurological conditions.
Functional Neurosurgery is the surgical alleviation of a wide range of conditions, including movement disorders such as Parkinson’s disease, dystonia, tremors, Tourette’s syndrome, epilepsy, spasticity and neuropathic pain syndromes such as complex regional pain synProf.ome (CRPS), phantom limb pain, anaesthesia Dolorosa, post-stroke pain, cluster headache, cancer pain and pain with spinal origin.
Treatments are based on electrical stimulation of various parts of the nervous system, including areas of the brain, spinal cord and peripheral nerves. Prof. Tufo uses a surgically implanted system resembling a heart pacemaker to deliver small pulses of electricity to the target area, which relieves symptoms. Alternative surgeries we undertake include stereotactic brain lesions for certain movement disorders and cancer pain.
In the Functional Neurosurgery Clinic, Prof. Tufo treats and provides neuromodulation therapy for a variety of movement disorders, including:
- Epilepsy: is a neurological condition that causes unprovoked, recurrent seizures. A seizure is a sudden rush of abnormal electrical activity in your brain. It is typical to diagnose epilepsy when you have two or more seizures with no other identifiable cause. Generalised seizures affect your whole brain. Focal, or partial seizures, affect only one part of your brain. A mild seizure may be difficult to recognise. It may only last a few seconds, and you may remain awake while it happens. More substantial seizures can cause spasms and uncontrollable muscle twitches. They can last several minutes or just a few seconds and may cause confusion or loss of consciousness. Afterwards, it’s common to have no memory of a seizure happening. Learn More About Epilepsy
- Parkinson’s disease: A degenerative disorder associated with tremors, stiffness and impaired balance and coordination, Parkinson’s disease is a progressive disorder that can have serious complications. Parkinsons disease, which is unresponsive to medications, or in patients who suffer from severe medical complications, may be addressed surgically. Learn More About Parkinsons Disease
- Dystonia: Causing involuntary muscle contractions, dystonia often includes symptoms such as repetitive or twisting movements. Idiopathic and generalised dystonias are poorly understood disorders. They are characterised by uncontrolled writhing of a limb and/or the entire body.
- Essential Tremors: They can present in numerous forms. Tremor can be defined functionally as postural (tremor that occurs whenever the limbs are held in a particular posture), action and action-specific (i.e., reaching for a glass of water or handwriting), or resting (when the patient’s hands are quietly resting on their lap).
- Hemifacial spasm: is a disorder characterised by sudden and uncontrolled movements of the face. Hemifacial spasm may be treated both noninvasively and invasively. Noninvasive therapies for hemifacial spasm include oral baclofen, local injections of botulinum toxin and other central-acting medications. Hemifacial spasms are often attributed to a blood vessel compressing the nerve (cranial nerve seven) that supplies the facial musculature as it exits the brain stem.
- Tourette syndrome: A type of tic disorder, Tourette syndrome is a condition that causes involuntary and repeated movement or vocalisations. Tourette’s starts in childhood as early as age two and decreases in teenage years and into adulthood. It tends to run in families, and so researchers believe it is genetic. While there is no known cause for Tourette’s syndrome, it has been linked to problems with two neurotransmitters: dopamine and serotonin.
- Atypical Parkinsonian disorders: are progressive diseases that indicate some of the signs and symptoms of Parkinson’s disease but generally do not respond well to drug treatment with levodopa. The symptoms are associated with abnormal protein buildup within brain cells. Like classic Parkinson’s disease, atypical Parkinsonian disorders can cause tremors, muscle stiffness, and problems with walking/balance and fine motor coordination. Psychiatric disturbances such as agitation, anxiety or depression may also be Patients with atypical Parkinsonism often have difficulty speaking or swallowing, and drooling can be a problem.
- Dystonia: is a common problem seen in movement disorder clinics, but its many different and unusual manifestations can make diagnosing it challenging. Dystonia affects the way the body moves. It causes the muscles to contract, which makes them move involuntarily or get stuck in an abnormal position. Dystonia can affect the entire body or a specific part, and the movements can sometimes cause pain for the patient.
- Essential tremor: also often called “familial tremor” or “benign essential tremor,” is the most common movement disorder and may run in families. When severe, it is undoubtedly not “benign” and can affect a person’s ability to eat, drink, write or perform other activities of daily living. Essential tremor is sometimes confused with other types of tremor, so getting the correct diagnosis is essential.
- Progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) is an uncommon brain disorder that causes severe problems with walking, balance and eye movements, and later with swallowing. PSP results from the deterioration of cells in areas of your brain that control body movement, coordination, thinking and other essential functions. PSP is also called Steele-Richardson-Olszewski syndrome and worsens over time and can lead to life-threatening complications, such as pneumonia and swallowing problems. There has been no cure for progressive supranuclear palsy, so treatment focuses on managing the symptoms.
- Spasticity: is a movement disorder where muscles stiffen or tighten, preventing normal fluid movement. The muscles remain contracted and resist being stretched, thus affecting movement, speech and gait. It is generally caused by damage or disruption to the area of the brain and spinal cord that are responsible for controlling muscle and stretch reflexes. These disruptions can be due to an imbalance in the inhibitory and excitatory signals sent to the muscles, causing them to lock in place. Spasticity can be harmful to growing children as it can affect muscles and joints. People with brain injury, spinal cord injury, cerebral palsy or multiple sclerosis can have varying degrees of spasticity.
- Tourette Syndrome: is one type of Tic Disorder. Tics are involuntary, repetitive movements and vocalisations. They are the primary symptoms of a group of childhood-onset neurological conditions known collectively as Tic Disorders and individually as Tourette Syndrome (TS), Persistent (Chronic) Motor or Vocal Tic Disorder, and Provisional Tic Disorder. These three Tic Disorders are named based on the types of tics present (motor, vocal/phonic, or both) and by the length of time that the tics have been present.
- Tardive dyskinesia (TD): is a movement disorder condition where your face, body or both make sudden, irregular movements which you cannot control. It can develop as a side effect of medication, most commonly antipsychotic drugs. Tardive means delayed or appearing late – TD usually develops after you’ve been taking medication for a few months, or sometimes years, and Dyskinesia means abnormal or unusual movements.
- Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is a common mental health condition where a person has obsessive thoughts and compulsive behaviours. OCD can affect men, women and children. Some people start having symptoms early, often around puberty, but it usually starts during early adulthood. It can include doubting oneself and having difficulty tolerating uncertainty. Needing things orderly and symmetrical. Aggressive or horrific thoughts about losing control and harming yourself or others. Unwanted thoughts, including aggression or sexual or other subjects.
