Request a DBS candidacy review

If you are wondering whether deep brain stimulation could help you or a family member, you can have that question answered before travelling anywhere. Send the documents and videos listed below. Prof. Atilla YILMAZ, MD reviews every submission personally and replies with a written opinion — including when the opinion is that surgery would not help, which is a frequent and legitimate answer.

What to send

1. Your neurologist's report — the diagnosis, how long symptoms have been present, and what treatments have been tried.
2. Your current medication list, with doses and timings. (No medication is recommended or changed by this review; the list is needed only to judge response.)
3. A recent brain MRI if one has been performed — the image files, not just the written report, where possible.
4. Video in the medication-OFF state — recorded before the first dose of the day, after at least 12 hours without medication only if your neurologist has agreed this is safe for you.
5. Video in the medication-ON state — recorded about one hour after a dose, at your best.

How to record the videos

They do not need to be professional. A phone held steady by another person, in good light, with the whole body visible, is exactly right. In each state, please record:

• Sitting still with hands resting on the lap for about 20 seconds.
• Arms outstretched in front for 15 seconds, then held with elbows bent and hands close together in front of the chest.
• Finger tapping and rapid hand opening and closing, each side separately.
• Drinking from a cup of water and writing a sentence.
• Standing up from a chair without using the arms, walking about five metres, turning and walking back.
• For head tremor: the head while relaxed, while looking straight ahead, while turning to each side, and while touching the chin or cheek.

What happens next

1. You send the material to info@atillayilmaz.com. Large video files can be sent by any file-transfer service.
2. The international patient team confirms receipt and asks for anything missing.
3. Prof. YILMAZ reviews the material personally.
4. You receive a written opinion: whether DBS is likely to help, which target would be considered, what improvement would be realistic, and what the main risks would be in your particular case.
5. If the opinion is positive and you wish to proceed, a video consultation is arranged before any travel is planned.

Privacy

Medical records and videos sent for review are treated as confidential medical information, used only for the clinical assessment, and are never published or used in any public material without separate, specific written consent.

Send your documents to info@atillayilmaz.com

This review is an opinion on candidacy based on submitted material. It is not a diagnosis, does not replace examination by a physician, and does not change any current treatment. No medication is prescribed, named or adjusted.