Boston Scientific (BSX) announced it has received the CE Mark for its Vercise Deep Brain Stimulation System for the treatment of dystonia, “a neurological movement disorder characterized by involuntary muscle contractions.” Dystonia is the third most common movement disorder after Parkinson’s disease and essential tremor, and more than 500,000 patients in Europe have it, according to a company statement.
According to that statement, the Vercise offers the longest battery life available for deep brain stimulation and the “smallest implanted stimulator footprint.” According to the statement:
The Vercise DBS System is the first system designed to selectively stimulate targeted areas of the brain in order to customize therapy and manage symptoms of Parkinson’s disease.
The system received the CE Mark for treatment of Parkinson’s in 2012. The device is still investigational in the United States.
St. Jude Medical (STJ) received CE approval for use of deep brain stimulation for treatment of dystonia in April. Medtronic’s Activa system is available for dystonia treatment in the U.S.
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