Study Launched to Review Focused Ultrasound for Essential Tremor

Enrollment has begun in the first feasibility study looking at the effectiveness of MR guided Focused Ultrasound to treat essential tremor. The study will examine 15 patients that underwent non-invasive treatment using InSightec Ltd’s ExAblate Nuero at University of Virginia in Charleston. The use of MR Focused Ultrasound (MRgFUS) has gained widespread attention lately as a means chronic neuropathic pain, targeted drug delivery and sonosthrombolysis, which are described in the current issue of The Journal of Neurosurgery. Essential tremor affects basic movements. A third of all patients do not respond to drug therapy and typically consider surgery, which carries a set of risks. MR Focused Ultrasound is viewed as possible non-invasive treatment with tremendous potential. InSightec has reportedly spent roughly $150 million to develop a device for clinical application, according to a press release.