MR Guided Focused Ultrasound
For the first time in the Memphis region, patients who suffer from tremors, essential tremor (ET) and Parkinson's Disease tremors have access to treat these tremors with MR-guided focused ultrasound, an incisionless technology, which replaces traditional surgery.
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How it Works
We usually know ultrasound as a non-invasive technology used for imaging. MR-guided focused ultrasound is a new incisionless technology used for therapeutic purposes. Focused ultrasound allows us to perform safe and effective, incisionless therapy with little to no harm to the surrounding brain with minimal side effects.
Ultrasound has the capability to pass through skin, muscle, fat, and bone without the need for incisions, electrodes or inserted probes. Ultrasound energy is non-ionizing, meaning you are not being exposed to radiation during the procedure.
With this procedure, ultrasound energy is focused on an extremely small spot where tremor cells are located. The focused ultrasound leads to precise destruction of tremor cells, thereby eliminating your tremors.
The whole procedure is conducted while you are awake inside an MRI imaging scanner in order for the physician to plan, guide and target the tremor area easily. To ensure patient safety, focused ultrasound uses an MRI thermal imaging system that measures temperature changes within the brain and the skull.
What to Expect
On treatment day, your head will be shaved so that nothing will interfere with the ultrasound beams. Your hair will naturally grow back after the treatment. After local numbing medication is applied, a frame will be secured to your head and an elastic cap is placed to seal the helmet, where water is circulated.
During the treatment, you will lay down on the treatment bed inside the MRI scanner. The medical team will be in the control room and you will be conscious and able to communicate with them. Your head will be positioned in the focused ultrasound helmet which is filled with water, and you will have a blanket to keep you warm.
Before and after the tremor testing, you will be asked to perform a spiral photograph depiction.
Patients who have undergone this procedure have shown an immediate and significant reduction in tremor, resulting in improvement in performing daily activities such as, eating, drinking and writing.
There is the possibility that your tremor may return months or even years after the treatment, or that the tremor may not improve. There is a small risk that you could develop temporary or permanent muscle weakness, unsteadiness, sensory loss, or numbness or tingling in your fingers or elsewhere in your body.
Benefits
- No incisions and no holes in the skull. No insertion of electrodes into the brain
- Real-time visualization of the target area in the brain
- Incisionless therapy that results in the almost immediate resolution of symptoms
- Faster recovery time, allowing patients to return to daily activities within a day of the procedure
- Reduced risk of infection and damage to the non-targeted areas of the brain
- This is an out-patient procedure
For additional information on treatment options for essential tremor, to schedule a consultation, or to refer a patient, fill out the Request an Appointment form below.
Request an Appointment