When the Dystonia Europe board met in Leuven in October we were lucky enough to be invited to a tour of the DBS (Deep Brain Stimulation) Select facility which is currently on the outskirts of Leuven.
I wasn’t sure what to expect but as I am currently considering DBS for myself I was keen to have a look at the facility.
We were met by Dr Alexandra Boogers (neurologist) and Dimitri Vanaeken (Partnership Manager for Vesalius Museum).
Dr Alexandra Boogers
Dimitri Vanaeken (Partnership Manager for Vesalius Musem)
They first of all took us to a small theatre space with a stage where they talked us through the DBS Select programme and showed us some typical questions that patients ask.
Then we were guided through the different areas. One area had several interactive information tables where you could choose which questions you were interested in, maybe some, maybe all of them. The answers to the previously set questions were pictorial and some were animated as well as text of course. There was also a realistic model of a beating heart and headphones for us to listen to the history of DBS and the select programme.
We all looked and listened with great interest.
We then were shown a video of an operation taking place and were able to ask Dr Boogers any questions we wanted. As you can imagine we all had lots of questions and Dr Boogers answered them all in detail.
Next was an interactive ‘examination table’. This has been previously loaded with the ‘body’ of an anonymous man in several different layers, e.g. the whole body from the outside, the muscles, the bones and the nerves network. Another very interesting exhibit although I have to admit I am not sure how this particular exhibit would be used in the process of choosing whether or not to have DBS, maybe I didn’t pay enough attention at this point!
We then went back to the small theatre where Dimitri gave a presentation on the next steps for the DBS Select Programme. Dr Boogers had left at this point as she had another appointment to attend.
My own understanding of the process is that it is for patients who are considering DBS as a treatment, it gives them all of the information they want or need in order to make an informed decision about the operation.
Patients have to be referred there by their neurologist or other medical professional and since it began in 2019 they have had 680 visitors.
Visits are done in groups of 10 to 15 people approximately every 2 months. Patients can bring their loved ones/carers etc with them and they too are welcome to take the tour. There is an online version available but again this needs to be on recommendation by a medical professional and the patient will need a unique access code to be able to take part online.
There are currently 4 actual locations, Leuven, Luxembourg, Toronto and one more but I can’t read my own writing so don’t know where, sorry!
Their mission is to increase access to DBS globally and currently have 20 centres planned around the world.
Of the people who have been there so far, 67% of them went on to have the surgery.
The centre is moving at the beginning of 2027 into a very old building in the centre of Leuven which is currently being renovated to house a museum of science, healthcare and society. This is the Vesalius Museum and it will house several state of the art exhibits all about human biology and the history of medicine. There will be lots of interactive areas, in one area you can be a ‘baby inside a womb’ to hear and feel what babies sense before birth. You will also be able to experience being in a hospital of the past and of the future.
The DBS Select facility will be on one floor of the Vesalius Museum but will not be open to the general public like the rest of the museum. Patients will still need a referral from a medical professional, however the facilities will be very similar to those we saw during our tour with improvements and updated technology where needed.
The world transplant games will be held in Leuven in 2027 and during that period the museum will have an exhibit all about transplants. One of my friends is a transplant patient and takes part in the games every year so I have recommended that he goes to the Vesalius Museum while he is there!
I don’t know about you but I would love to see the Vesalius Museum when it is up and running but even more than that I would love to have a DBS Select facility near me!
You can read a little more and see some photographs of the Leuven DBS Select facility by using this link:
And more information on the Vesalius Museum is in this link:
https://www.kuleuven.be/600years/vesaliusmuseum
All in all a great facility if you are considering DBS.
Gill Ainsley, Secretary, Dystonia Europe
DBS Select – Health House Leuven, Belgium
