Although still experimental, a new noninvasive treatment using ultrasound is showing promise in reducing symptoms in Parkinson's patients who don't respond well to medication.
 |
| Ultrasound treatment of Parkinson's disease holds promise |
According to research from the University of Maryland (USA), the method of using ultrasound waves to destroy a small part of the thalamus in the brain significantly improves tremors, mobility and other physical symptoms of Parkinson's patients. Nearly 70% of patients treated in the trial responded after 3 months of treatment. Meanwhile, the rate of patients receiving treatment by the simulator method was 32%. About 60% of patients using the new method maintained the treatment response for more than a year later.
During focused ultrasound, the patient lies in a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner, wearing a helmet that transmits ultrasound energy through the skull to the globus pallidus, a structure deep in the brain that helps control voluntary movement. The MRI allows the doctor to pinpoint and heat the ultrasound until the tiny thalamus tissue in the brain is removed. The patient remains awake and reports whether their symptoms improve.
For safety reasons, patients were treated on only one side of the brain. A trial testing the treatment on both sides of the brain is now underway, said Dr. Howard Eiseberg, co-leader of the University of Maryland study.
Source
Comment (0)