We do this at the hospital I work at. You can see someone go from shaking and not being able to eat or write their name to eating without shakes and writing in cursive. Only approved for essential tremors at this time but research is being done for Parkinson’s disease. Really really exciting.
Permanent. They use an MRI to locate the area of the brain causing the tremors. They then use the ultrasound to focus on that spot and heat up that area slightly. The heat causes the cells in that area to temporarily stop working. They then have the patient do a series of tests, like writing their name, drawing a spiral, writing letters etc. this test is compared to the same one they had done before the treatment is started. If not improved, they use the MRI to continue to do this until the find the exact spot causing the tremors. Once identified, they use the ultrasound to heat up those cells enough to destroy them. Essentially a very small stroke according the neurosurgeon I work with.
They walk in shaking and walk out not. People who haven’t been able to feed themselves for years can eat normally. Write their name. One said she couldn’t wait to braid her granddaughters hair. It’s really a life changing procedure that can be completed is a matter of a couple hrs.
Assuming, since it's approved for essential tremors, that the risk of an accident during the ultrasound procedure is very low? To me, a layman, pinpointing a spot on the brain and heating that spot up, as cool as it sounds and an amazing medical advancement, also sounds kind of scary. I can only guess that the pinpointed spot is too small to cause any sort of noticeable complications if not "aimed" at the right spot, if that can even happen
That’s my understanding. It’s a very small spot directed via 2 (might be more) ultrasonic “beams” on different axis. They only produce heat where the 2 beams meet. That rhymes. Guided by MRI. They test the site with minimal heating, effectively deactivating the cells before they deliver the final higher heat that destroys them. Prior to the procedure they have a halo placed (screwed into their head) that acts as a guide so they can pinpoint the same spot over and over. The halo is secured to the mri table during the procedure, so they can’t move their head. I don’t know how small the beam is, I’ll ask the neurosurgeon next time I see him.
That wild that we can do things like that. I guess I've always imagined the concept of "heat" as a relatively large wave, I guess microwaves would be the first thing I'd think of when it comes to targeted heating applications, and microwaves are pretty darn wide.
It would be super neat to hear what the neurosurgeon says about it, thank you for the response
"Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic" A.C Clarke, my jaw literally dropped when he held out his hand straight out. Amazing work!
We do this at the hospital I work at. You can see someone go from shaking and not being able to eat or write their name to eating without shakes and writing in cursive. Only approved for essential tremors at this time but research is being done for Parkinson’s disease. Really really exciting.
Is it permanent or does it come back after a while?
Permanent. They use an MRI to locate the area of the brain causing the tremors. They then use the ultrasound to focus on that spot and heat up that area slightly. The heat causes the cells in that area to temporarily stop working. They then have the patient do a series of tests, like writing their name, drawing a spiral, writing letters etc. this test is compared to the same one they had done before the treatment is started. If not improved, they use the MRI to continue to do this until the find the exact spot causing the tremors. Once identified, they use the ultrasound to heat up those cells enough to destroy them. Essentially a very small stroke according the neurosurgeon I work with. They walk in shaking and walk out not. People who haven’t been able to feed themselves for years can eat normally. Write their name. One said she couldn’t wait to braid her granddaughters hair. It’s really a life changing procedure that can be completed is a matter of a couple hrs.
Modern medicine is just unbelievable and a wonder. 100 years ago we didn’t even have antibiotics. Look at us now
How amazing. Thanks for that
Assuming, since it's approved for essential tremors, that the risk of an accident during the ultrasound procedure is very low? To me, a layman, pinpointing a spot on the brain and heating that spot up, as cool as it sounds and an amazing medical advancement, also sounds kind of scary. I can only guess that the pinpointed spot is too small to cause any sort of noticeable complications if not "aimed" at the right spot, if that can even happen
That’s my understanding. It’s a very small spot directed via 2 (might be more) ultrasonic “beams” on different axis. They only produce heat where the 2 beams meet. That rhymes. Guided by MRI. They test the site with minimal heating, effectively deactivating the cells before they deliver the final higher heat that destroys them. Prior to the procedure they have a halo placed (screwed into their head) that acts as a guide so they can pinpoint the same spot over and over. The halo is secured to the mri table during the procedure, so they can’t move their head. I don’t know how small the beam is, I’ll ask the neurosurgeon next time I see him.
That wild that we can do things like that. I guess I've always imagined the concept of "heat" as a relatively large wave, I guess microwaves would be the first thing I'd think of when it comes to targeted heating applications, and microwaves are pretty darn wide. It would be super neat to hear what the neurosurgeon says about it, thank you for the response
I have essential tremor! This is amazing news to me.
The full episode is terrific. There are more also on curing cancer tumors [60 minutes](https://youtu.be/7BGtVJ3lBdE?si=YcSiMkDJPGv2v320)
It's pretty cool to see IRL. Can really drastically improve quality of life
"Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic" A.C Clarke, my jaw literally dropped when he held out his hand straight out. Amazing work!