Journal Article

A Pilot Study of Focused Ultrasound Thalamotomy for Essential Tremor

Monteith, Stephen J, Loomba, Johanna, Khaled, Mohamad, Wylie, Scott, Frysinger, Robert C, Wintermark, Max, Shah, Binit B, Voss, Tiffini, Sperling, Scott A, Huss, Diane, Elias, W. Jeffrey, Harrison, Madaline, Zadicario, Eyal, Druzgal, Jason

2013

Overview

In an uncontrolled, open-label pilot study, essential tremor improved in 15 patients treated with MRI-guided focused ultrasound thalamotomy. Adverse effects included persistent paresthesias in four patients. The study was too small to assess the safety of this procedure. Essential tremor, the most common movement disorder, with a prevalence as high as 4%, is characterized by a rhythmic oscillation of agonist and antagonist muscle groups, typically between 8 and 12 Hz. 1 The cause of this disorder remains unknown, although there is often a familial component with a link to a particular polymorphism in the gene encoding leucine-rich repeat and immunoglobulin domain–containing protein 1 ( LINGO1 ). Although essential tremor is not medically dangerous, it is progressive and disabling in the home and workplace. 2 The degree of tremor does not always correlate with the severity of disability, 3 and patients with . . .

• Publisher: Massachusetts Medical Society
• Subject: Ablation / Aged / Biological and medical sciences / Brain Mapping / Cerebellum / Clinical trials / Cognitive ability / Essential Tremor - therapy / Female / Gait / General aspects / Humans / Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Male / Medical sciences / Middle Aged / Nervous system (semeiology, syndromes) / Nervous system as a whole / Neurology / NMR / Nuclear magnetic resonance / Patients / Performance evaluation / Physical therapists / Pilot Projects / Posture / Quality of life / Stereotaxic Techniques / Surgery / Thalamus / Tremor / Ultrasonic imaging / Ultrasonic Therapy - adverse effects / Ultrasonic Therapy - methods / Ultrasound / Ventral Thalamic Nuclei - pathology