Dr. Vitek is Pat Brogan’s doctor. In the film, Dr. Vitek worked closely with Pat to control the debilitating pain and contortions that Pat suffered. When treatment after treatment failed, Pat and Dr. Vitek explored the idea of deep brain stimulation surgery (DBS), and Pat decided to try it.

Dr. Vitek specializes at the Cleveland Clinic in medical and surgical treatment of movement disorders including Parkinson's disease, dystonia, essential tremor, mechanisms of DBS, pathophysiology of movement disorders and new applications for DBS.

How would you describe Pat’s condition today?

I can say at this point that Pat has pretty good control of his neck movements and is doing well. In the film he was still struggling. We were able to find a better combination of stimulation parameters to give him greater improvement.

Can you update us on any progress in dystonia treatment and research?

More and more information is coming out concerning the genetics of dystonia, its pathophysiology and the role of surgical therapy. We still have a long way to go, but progress is being made.

What resources do you recommend for a person who suffers from symptoms of dystonia?

The Dystonia Medical Research Foundation is a good place to start. They have a wealth of information on support groups and services as well as physicians who specialize in the treatment of dystonia and contact numbers for these physicians.

What impact would you like this film to have?

Awareness––for patients with dystonia who do not know where to turn, or, for that matter, may not know what they have. And awareness for people who may come into contact with dystonic patients so they have a greater understanding of dystonia and what people with dystonia are experiencing. And last, awareness for physicians who may not know about dystonia or the potential role of deep brain stimulation therapy for these patients.

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