When the DBS is turned “on”, it can block the part of the brain causing spasmodic dysphonia. Here is a video of a patient in the DEBUSSY Trial before their DBS surgery and one month after their surgery.

Before their surgery, it is difficult for the patient to speak. After surgery, it is much easier for her to speak.

One year after their surgery, the same patient is videoed again. They are reading one sentence with the DBS turned “ON” and then again with the DBS turned “OFF” and finally one more time with the DBS turned back “ON”.

When the DBS turned “ON”, they read the sentence in 8 seconds. When the DBS is turned “OFF”, they read the same sentence in 24 seconds and with greater effort and strain.

DBS is a brain operation and has risks that can vary between patients and institutions. Patients must speak directly with their surgeon to learn their individual risks. In general, the potential risks of DBS surgery include but are not limited to stroke, infection, and inadequate improvement. In the last twenty years (over 1,000 implants), we have had no deaths, two strokes, and approximately a 2% infection rate.