About us
Barts and The London Neurostimulator Service is based at the renowned Royal London Hospital, in east London, which is part of Barts and The London NHS Trust.
Neurostimulation is a technique that is used to relieve the symptoms of various neurological diseases when standard treatments have failed. It involves inserting small ‘pacemakers’ under the skin and attaching them to peripheral nerves, the spinal cord or the brain to deliver pulses of low voltage electrical stimulation. Ongoing chronic electrical stimulation blocks or alters transmission of nerve impulses resulting in various effects depending on the site of stimulation. Such effects include the relief of chronic pain, the ability to prevent or abort seizures and the relief of tremor or Parkinson’s disease symptoms.
The stimulator devices are self-contained; once they are implanted, there are no leads exposed through the skin. Adjustments of the stimulator settings are performed by the patient, their carers or the neurostimulator staff using remote control devices. Patients are all issued with pocket devices to control their stimulation themselves on a day to day basis should they desire to do so. The only subsequent procedures required are minor operations to replace the battery under the skin.
For more details about what we do, please visit our services section.
Please note: The information on this website is designed to help patients talk with their doctor, neurosurgeon and neurologist about their condition and is not intended to provide treatment guidelines.
