Awake during brain surgery: Why this Parkinson's patient played clarinet on the operating table | WATCH

London: A 65-year-old Parkinson’s disease patient, Denise Bacon, made medical history at London's King's College Hospital by playing the clarinet during her brain surgery, offering surgeons real-time feedback on the success of the procedure.

Denise, a retired speech and language therapist from East Sussex, was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in 2014. The disease had severely affected her ability to walk, swim, dance, and play her beloved clarinet. During a four-hour Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) surgery, which involves implanting electrodes deep into the brain to deliver electrical impulses that reduce symptoms, she remained awake and played her instrument on the operating table.

The live musical performance was critical in helping the surgical team, led by Professor Keyoumars Ashkan, fine-tune the electrode placement. As electrical current was delivered, Denise experienced immediate improvement in her finger movements, enabling her to play the clarinet with surprising ease mid-operation. "I remember my right hand moving much more easily once the stimulation started, which improved my ability to play the clarinet, and I was thrilled," Denise said.

DBS involves drilling tiny holes in the skull with precise coordinates used as a "sat nav" to guide electrode placement. A rechargeable pulse generator implanted in the chest supplies continuous stimulation, which can last up to 20 years, potentially adjusting automatically to brain activity.

This operation not only marked a major medical achievement but also reconnected Denise with a part of her identity that Parkinson’s had threatened to take away. She expressed hope that the surgery would further improve her ability to walk, swim, dance, and play music again.

With inputs from AP