MR-Guided Focused Ultrasound Thalamotomy Beneficial for Essential Tremor
By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter
MONDAY, Aug. 5, 2024 -- For patients with essential tremor, staged, bilateral magnetic resonance-guided focused ultrasound thalamotomy improves tremor/motor scores, according to a study published online July 29 in JAMA Neurology.
Michael G. Kaplitt, M.D., Ph.D., from Weill Cornell Medicine in New York City, and colleagues examined the safety and efficacy of staged, bilateral, magnetic resonance-guided focused ultrasound thalamotomy in a prospective, open-label, multicenter trial involving patients with essential tremor. Fifty-one patients were treated.
The researchers found that the mean tremor/motor score improved from 17.4 to 6.4 at three months (66 percent improvement in Clinical Rating Scale for Tremor parts A and B scores). Significant improvement was also seen in mean postural tremor (from 2.5 to 0.6) and mean disability scores (from 10.3 to 2.2). Mild ataxia developed in 12 patients and persisted at 12 months in six participants. Adverse events were mostly mild (85 percent) and included numbness/tingling, dysarthria, ataxia, unsteadiness/imbalance, and taste disturbance. Speech difficulty was generally mild and transient.
"In this open-label study of 51 participants, staged, bilateral magnetic resonance-guided focused ultrasound thalamotomy significantly reduced tremor severity and functional disability scores," the authors write.
Two authors disclosed ties to the biopharmaceutical industry; one author holds patents for brain stimulation.
Editorial (subscription or payment may be required)
Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.
© 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Posted August 2024
Read this next
ASCO: Durvalumab Plus FLOT Beneficial for Resectable Gastric, GE Junction Cancer
THURSDAY, June 5, 2025 -- For patients with resectable gastric or gastroesophageal junction adenocarcinoma, durvalumab plus fluorouracil, leucovorin, oxaliplatin, and docetaxel...
Endolymphatic Sac Decompression Effective for Vertigo, Migraine
WEDNESDAY, May 28, 2025 -- For Meniere disease (MD) patients with migraine, endolymphatic sac decompression (ELSD) is effective, providing postoperative relief of vertigo and...
One-Week Radiotherapy for Breast Cancer Safe, Effective Up to 10 Years
TUESDAY, May 27, 2025 -- A five-fraction, one-week schedule of adjuvant breast radiotherapy is as safe and effective as a standard three-week schedule for patients with invasive...
More news resources
- FDA Medwatch Drug Alerts
- Daily MedNews
- News for Health Professionals
- New Drug Approvals
- New Drug Applications
- Drug Shortages
- Clinical Trial Results
- Generic Drug Approvals
Subscribe to our newsletter
Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.