We use cookies to understand how you use our site and to improve your experience. This includes personalizing content and advertising. To learn more, click here. By continuing to use our site, you accept our use of cookies. Cookie Policy.

Features Partner Sites Information LinkXpress
Sign In
Advertise with Us
GLOBETECH PUBLISHING LLC

Download Mobile App




New Focused Ultrasound Treatment Proves Effective for Parkinson’s Disease Patients

By MedImaging International staff writers
Posted on 17 Mar 2023
Print article
Image: New focused ultrasound is effective for treating Parkinson’s, movement disorders (Photo courtesy of Pexels)
Image: New focused ultrasound is effective for treating Parkinson’s, movement disorders (Photo courtesy of Pexels)

Parkinson's disease is a neurological condition characterized by the loss of dopamine neurons within the brain. While medications such as levodopa can be effective in managing this condition, some patients may experience dyskinesia and motor impairment. Dyskinesia, an involuntary movement of the body's various parts, may occur with long-term use of levodopa. Meanwhile, motor impairment entails the return of debilitating Parkinsonian symptoms once the medication loses its effectiveness. In a latest study, researchers have demonstrated that a novel focused ultrasound treatment can be beneficial in reducing dyskinesia and improving motor impairment in patients with Parkinson's disease. Patients undergoing focused ultrasound therapy can return home the same day post-surgery.

In 2016, the FDA had approved the use of focused ultrasound therapy to treat essential tremors. The research team at the UNC School of Medicine (Chapel Hill, NC, USA) conducted a pivotal trial that resulted in the FDA approving the use of focused ultrasound ablation to manage dyskinesia and motor impairment in Parkinson's disease. The trial involved 94 Parkinson's patients with either dyskinesias or motor impairment who were randomly selected to receive focused ultrasound ablation or a "sham" procedure. The main objective was to evaluate therapy response after three months, defined as a three-point decrease in the score from baseline either on the Movement Disorders Society-Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale, part III (off medication state), or in the score on the Unified Dyskinesia Rating Scale (on medication state). Secondary outcomes included changes from baseline to month three in the scores on various parts of the Movement Disorders Society–Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale.

In the trial, the researchers administered ultrasound ablation to 69 patients and the sham (control) procedure to 25 patients. In the focused ultrasound group, 65 patients completed the primary-outcome assessment, while 22 in the control group completed the study. In the focused ultrasound group, 45 patients (69%) had a response, as compared with seven (32%) in the control group. The adverse effects related to ablation of the globus pallidus were infrequent and included speech difficulty, visual disturbance, and gait difficulty – in one patient each. There was one serious adverse event documented one week after the treatment in one patient.

“Focused ultrasound is an exciting new treatment for patients with certain neurological disorders,” said Dr. Vibhor Krishna, associate professor of neurosurgery at the UNC School of Medicine, who is the study co-author. “The procedure is incisionless, eliminating the risks associated with surgery. Using focused ultrasound, we can target a specific area of the brain and safely ablate the diseased tissue.”

Related Links:
UNC School of Medicine

Gold Member
Solid State Kv/Dose Multi-Sensor
AGMS-DM+
New
Silver Member
Mobile X-Ray Barrier
Lead Acrylic Mobile X-Ray Barriers
New
Wireless Handheld Ultrasound System
TE Air
Laptop Ultrasound Scanner
PL-3018

Print article

Channels

Radiography

view channel
:	Image: The AI model could be a valuable adjunct to human radiologists in breast cancer diagnoses and risk prediction (Photo courtesy of 123RF)

AI Model Predicts 5-Year Breast Cancer Risk from Mammograms

Approximately 13% of U.S. women, or one in every eight, are predicted to develop invasive breast cancer over their lifetime, with 1 in 39 women (3%) succumbing to the illness, according to the American... Read more

Nuclear Medicine

view channel
Image: The AI system uses scintigraphy imaging for early diagnosis of cardiac amyloidosis (Photo courtesy of 123RF)

AI System Automatically and Reliably Detects Cardiac Amyloidosis Using Scintigraphy Imaging

Cardiac amyloidosis, a condition characterized by the buildup of abnormal protein deposits (amyloids) in the heart muscle, severely affects heart function and can lead to heart failure or death without... Read more

General/Advanced Imaging

view channel
Image: The Cinematic Reality app enables interaction with realistic renderings of human anatomy (Photo courtesy of Siemens)

AR Application Turns Medical Scans Into Holograms for Assistance in Surgical Planning

Siemens Healthineers (Erlangen, Germany) has launched an app designed for Apple Vision Pro that allows users including surgeons, medical students, or patients to view immersive, interactive holograms of... Read more

Imaging IT

view channel
Image: The new Medical Imaging Suite makes healthcare imaging data more accessible, interoperable and useful (Photo courtesy of Google Cloud)

New Google Cloud Medical Imaging Suite Makes Imaging Healthcare Data More Accessible

Medical imaging is a critical tool used to diagnose patients, and there are billions of medical images scanned globally each year. Imaging data accounts for about 90% of all healthcare data1 and, until... Read more

Industry News

view channel
Image: Samsung Medison CEO Mr. Yongkwan Kim and Bracco Imaging CEO Dr. Fulvio Renoldi Bracco endorsed a MoU agreement (Photo courtesy of Bracco Group)

Samsung and Bracco Enter Into New Diagnostic Ultrasound Technology Agreement

Samsung Medison (Seoul, South Korea) and Bracco Imaging (Milan, Italy) have entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) agreement to pioneer a new area for diagnostic ultrasound devices and contrast agents.... Read more
Copyright © 2000-2024 Globetech Media. All rights reserved.