Exablate Neuro Focused Ultrasound System Effectively Treats Essential Tremor Without
 

Exablate Neuro Focused Ultrasound System Effectively Treats Essential Tremor Without Surgery
http://www.medgadget.com/wp-content/...late-Neuro.jpgThe New England Journal of Medicine just published a study 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:

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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