Cerebral Palsy Patients Seek Out Missouri Doctor for Innovative Treatment
Cerebral palsy is a condition typically contracted through birth injury and the treatment options are few. One Missouri doctor may be changing that with a new, innovative cerebral palsy treatment.
While a number of treatments are available for those with cerebral palsy, a new treatment from the St. Louis Children’s Hospital that has been perfected by neurosurgeon Dr. T.S. Park has become a popular option for those who can afford the treatment and make the trip to Missouri.
Dr. Park’s specialty is the selective dorsal rhizotomy, a procedure that was developed more than 30 years ago that involves the cutting sensory nerves in the bottom of the spine to relieve muscle rigidness that often is caused by cerebral palsy. Cerebral palsy patients who have trouble walking are the most common recipients of the procedure and have shown considerable improvement in their ability to walk as a result.
Park is known for developing a less-invasive technique of the procedure that involves removing bone from one vertebrae to locate the spasticity-causing nerves. He has performed his version of the procedure – which has fewer long-term back complications and side effects – since 1991.
Park’s procedure has gained even more popularity in recent years as international patients, particularly ones from the UK, have begun making the long trip for it. His peers have also heaped praise upon him for the work he has put into the procedure.
“His findings are absolutely fundamental and influential,” Dr. Ralph Dacey Jr., the Washington University chairman of neurological surgery, recently told a WU magazine, according to St. Louis Today. “He is one of the few people in the world to have perfected the technical aspects of this procedure, and he has systematically studied its effectiveness and role in the overall treatment of cerebral palsy.”
Some hurdles that families who want to sign their child with cerebral palsyfor the procedure may initially face may regard financing, as the procedure is expensive. However, if your child’s development of cerebral palsy may have been caused by medical negligence or doctor error, it may be worth pursuing a cerebral palsy lawsuit.
Speak to a birth injury attorney today to learn more about a lawsuit that could result in a substantial monetary award to help fund medical treatments, such as a selective dorsal rhizotomy, for the rest of your child’s life.
Birth Injury