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08-26-2016, 01:43 AM
Exablate Neuro Focused Ultrasound System Effectively Treats Essential Tremor Without Surgery
http://www.medgadget.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/Exablate-Neuro.jpgThe New England Journal of Medicine just published a study (http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa1600159#t=article)evaluating*InSightec‘s Exablate Neuro focused ultrasound system for treatment of essential tremor. The system received FDA approval to market the device only last month and the study results make clear why. Essentially,*transcranial focused ultrasound thalamotomy was effective in reducing hand tremor at three and stayed reduced compared to a control group a year following treatment.
There were side effects, such as unusual sensations felt by 38% of patients that stayed with 14% a year after therapy was administered. About the same numbers apply to people who experienced gait disturbances. This is **t unexpected since even though there’s ** traditional incision, lesions are created where the ultrasound energy is delivered and concentrated.
All this is very positive **t just for patients with essential tremor, but also the future benefits that these findings herald for focused ultrasound in other applications.
Here are the basic findings from the study abstract:
<blockquote>
Seventy-six patients were included in the analysis. Hand-tremor scores improved more after focused ultrasound thalamotomy (from 18.1 points at baseline to 9.6 at 3 months) than after the sham procedure (from 16.0 to 15.8 points); the between-group difference in the mean change was 8.3 points (95% confidence interval [CI], 5.9 to 10.7; P
http://www.medgadget.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/Exablate-Neuro.jpgThe New England Journal of Medicine just published a study (http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa1600159#t=article)evaluating*InSightec‘s Exablate Neuro focused ultrasound system for treatment of essential tremor. The system received FDA approval to market the device only last month and the study results make clear why. Essentially,*transcranial focused ultrasound thalamotomy was effective in reducing hand tremor at three and stayed reduced compared to a control group a year following treatment.
There were side effects, such as unusual sensations felt by 38% of patients that stayed with 14% a year after therapy was administered. About the same numbers apply to people who experienced gait disturbances. This is **t unexpected since even though there’s ** traditional incision, lesions are created where the ultrasound energy is delivered and concentrated.
All this is very positive **t just for patients with essential tremor, but also the future benefits that these findings herald for focused ultrasound in other applications.
Here are the basic findings from the study abstract:
<blockquote>
Seventy-six patients were included in the analysis. Hand-tremor scores improved more after focused ultrasound thalamotomy (from 18.1 points at baseline to 9.6 at 3 months) than after the sham procedure (from 16.0 to 15.8 points); the between-group difference in the mean change was 8.3 points (95% confidence interval [CI], 5.9 to 10.7; P