Re: Electrical Brain Stimulation

[Andy Blatz <andyb@xxxxxxxx>]

Dear All,
A neurosurgeon from Canada responded to the question about deep brain
stimulator approval as follows:
Things work a little differently in Canada than in the USA. The devices
have been approved for implantation by Health Canada. That means that
Health Canada believes them to be safe.
The use of the devices depends more on the physician, the institution, and
the governing body (i.e. the governing body for physicians, or "College").
 The latter is under provincial jurisdiction. In Manitoba, our "College of
Physicians and Surgeons of Manitoba" has deemed that implantation in any of
the three sites as scientifically acceptable. Since that is done, I could
go ahead with, for example, bilateral STN stimulation. As you know, they
are doing this in Ontario (Toronto). I don't know about any of the other
provinces.