‘Delighted’ Crowborough woman played clarinet in brain surgery

A woman with Parkinson’s disease who played a clarinet while undergoing brain stimulation said she was “delighted” with how it went.

Denise Bacon, 65, from Crowborough in East Sussex, experienced instant improvement in her finger movements as the electrical current was delivered to her brain, doctors at King’s College Hospital said.

The retired speech and language therapist underwent deep brain stimulation (DBS) after suffering symptoms of Parkinson’s.

She was diagnosed with the disease in 2014 and it has affected her ability to walk, swim, dance and play her clarinet.

During a four-hour operation at King’s College Hospital, Keyoumars Ashkan, a professor of neurosurgery, performed DBS to help relieve symptoms while Ms Bacon stayed awake.

DBS is a surgical procedure using electrodes implanted in the brain and is suitable for some patients with disorders such as Parkinson’s.

Ms Bacon was given a local anaesthetic to numb her scalp and skull and had immediate improvement in her fingers on the operating table, allowing her to play the clarinet easily.

She previously played clarinet in the East Grinstead Concert Band until she had to stop five years ago due to her Parkinson’s symptoms.

“I remember my right hand being able to move with much more ease once the stimulation was applied, and this in turn improved my ability to play the clarinet, which I was delighted with,” she said.

“I’m already experiencing improvements in my ability to walk, and I’m keen to get back in the swimming pool, and on the dance floor to see if my abilities have improved there.”

Prof Ashkan, said holes half the size of a five pence piece had been made in her skull, after a frame with precise co-ordinates was placed on Ms Bacon’s head “acting as a sat nav” to guide them to the correct positions to implant the electrode.

“We were delighted to see an instant improvement in her hand movements, and therefore her ability to play, once stimulation was delivered to the brain,” he said.