Treatment of tremor without surgery
High Intensity Focused Ultrasound (HIFU) is a relatively new treatment method based on the local effect of ultrasound on the affected area of the body, which leads to a sharp increase in temperature in this area and the development of thermal necrosis. Thus, the pathological focus is destroyed. At the same time, the skin and surrounding tissues do not undergo any changes. The procedure is controlled by MRI.
Many researchers study and apply this method for the treatment of serious diseases: breast cancer, brain tumors, epilepsy, pain syndrome and others.
Dr. Jeff Elias from the University of Virginia, USA, is the initiator of the use of HIFU for the relief of tremor in Parkinson's disease.
Parkinson's disease is a chronic neurodegenerative disease affecting older people and manifested by motor disorders, including tremor of the hands.
A group of neurologists led by Elias conducted a small study in which 27 people participated (26 men and 1 woman, the average age of participants was 67.8 years). They were randomly assigned to two groups: experimental and control. The experimental group consisted of 20 people, they underwent a course of brain HIFU (unilateral thalamotomy). The remaining 7 people made up the control group, they underwent a placebo procedure similar in appearance to HIFU, but without exposure to ultrasound (later they were given the opportunity to undergo a full course of this therapy). All the study participants suffered from tremor of the hands that could not be treated with medication, and all of them continued to take the previously prescribed antiparkinsonian treatment.
Three months after the HIFU course, participants noted a 62% decrease in tremor. At the same time, a small positive result was also noted in the control group, which is most likely due to the placebo effect.
Of the most frequent side effects of ultrasound therapy, numbness of half of the face and body can be noted, which was more often transient, but in some cases had a persistent character. Two patients complained of general weakness, which, however, passed before the end of the course of treatment.
The first results of studying this non-surgical method are encouraging, but, as the authors write, this is not enough: it is necessary to conduct a large multicenter study. The issue of hand tremor treatment deserves a lot of attention, as it will help significantly improve the quality of life of elderly patients suffering from Parkinson's disease.
Article by Aaron E. Bond et al. Thalamotomy for Patients With Medication-Refractory, Tremor-Dominant Parkinson's Disease published in JAMA Neurology
Aminat Adzhieva, portal "Eternal Youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru based on University of Virginia Health System: Focused ultrasound shows promise for treating Parkinson's tremor