THE SOUTHERN Philippine Medical Center carried out its latest adaptive sensing deep-brain stimulation (DBS) procedure on Feb 7, 2026, to treat a patient diagnosed with X-linked dystonia-parkinsonism (Lubag disease).
The hospital utilized a state-of-the-art Medtronic deep brain stimulation system, the first in the Philippines, for patients with movement and neurological disorders, not only Lubag disease but Parkinson’s disease, tremors, or epilepsy as well.
DBS is a surgical procedure that uses a pacemaker-like device and implanted electrodes to send electrical impulses in the deep parts of the brain to modulate dysfunctional neural circuitry.
In an interview with Dr Jose Nicanor P. Del Rosario, M.D., chair of the Institute of Clinical Neurosciences, he explained that Lubag disease is a rare, disabling movement disorder that primarily affects Filipino men and originates from Panay Island.
He shared that the patient who underwent DBS at SPMC was working abroad and started to develop abdominal contractions and progressed to dystonia years ago.
The progressive disease is genetic, where symptoms occur at the start of adulthood, and is a unique disorder in the country.
Common early signs are involuntary pulling or twisting in the neck, painful muscle spasms, tremors, stiffness, slowed movements, speech changes, and swallowing difficulty.
