Ultrasound tremor treatment could be ‘game-changer’ for Parkinson’s

In a move that could have major implications for the treatment of movement disorders, doctors have developed a non-invasive technique based on ultrasound to successfully treat essential tremor.

A team at St Mary’s hospital, London used MRI guided focused ultrasound to destroy tissue causing mistimed electrical signals to be sent to muscles. This procedure was performed in the imaging department rather than operating theatres, and did not involve surgeons.

Dr Peter Bain, consultant neurologist and co-coordinator of the trial said that ultrasound brain surgery had an “enormous future” and could be used to treat movement disorders such as Parkinson’s disease.

Ultrasound tremor treatment could be ‘game-changer’ for Parkinson’s

Professor Wladyslaw Gedroyc, consultant radiologist and principal investigator for the trial, said: “This is a game-changer for patients with these movement disorders because we can cure them with a treatment which is completely non-invasive and we don’t have to give unpleasant drugs.”