HACKENSACK, N.J. (Ivanhoe Newswire)- Essential tremor is a nervous system disorder, an involuntary shaking or twitching that makes it difficult to shave, button a shirt, or hold a cup of coffee. For some, medication helps stop the essential tremors; others have surgery to implant a device for deep brain stimulation. Now, there’s a new, non-invasive option for those seeking relief, exablate
Seventy-one-year-old Bob Bosloper has played the organ since he was a teenager.
“It’s just magnificent. Especially when I pull out all the stops,” Bosloper explains of his love for playing the organ.
But as Bosloper began to age, his hands began to hold him back. Bosloper had essential tremors in both hands, a genetic condition that grew worse.
“It got very difficult for me to hold my hands on the keys without them shaking. And the fear was that they were going to jump,” Bosloper explains.
Medication made him groggy. And he wasn’t ready for invasive brain surgery.
“Now we have a midway option in between medicine and surgery, the focused ultrasound, where we can non-invasively disrupt those tremor circuits and the tremors are permanently taken care of,” Dr. Hooman Azmi of Hackensack University Medical Center Neuroscience Institute explains.
The treatment was done with a system called Exablate. Patients wear a helmet that has thousands of small speakers.
Dr. Azmi says, “These speakers emit sound that’s ultrasound. It’s above what we can hear, and they have the capability of going through tissues.”
Using MRI guidance, surgeons focus the soundwaves on the precise area of the brain causing the tremors. The patient is awake, so surgeons can assess how the ultrasound is working. Right now, the procedure is only approved for one side. Bosloper’s right hand stopped shaking immediately after treatment and he was back in church right after.
Bosloper says, “I went back the next Sunday and played the organ, even though I had no hair on my head because my head was shaved. It’s unbelievable. I can go out with my friends and not be embarrassed to eat a meal.”
Hackensack University Medical Center is one of about three dozen centers nationwide offering the Exablate procedure. Right now, the procedure is only FDA approved for one side. Researchers are conducting clinical trials to test the safety of using the procedure on both sides. More information about treatments for essential tremor is available on the essential tremor foundation website at https://essentialtremor.org/.
Sources:
https://www.essentialtremor.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/FactSheet012013.pdf
Contributors to this news report include: Cyndy McGrath, Executive Producer & Field Producer; Kirk Manson, Videographer; Roque Correa, Editor.
To receive a free weekly e-mail on Medical Breakthroughs from Ivanhoe, sign up at: http://www.ivanhoe.com/ftk
MEDICAL BREAKTHROUGHS
RESEARCH SUMMARY
TOPIC: ELIMINATE ESSENTIAL HAND TREMORS WITH EXABLATE
REPORT: MB #5003
BACKGROUND: Classic essential tremor is a clinical syndrome of action tremor in the upper limbs (at least in 95% of patients) and less commonly the head, face/jaw, voice, tongue, trunk, and lower limbs, in the absence of other neurologic signs. Essential tremor is a monosymptomatic tremor disorder that is challenged by a growing literature describing associated disturbances of tandem walking, personality, mood, hearing and cognition. Misdiagnosis of essential tremor is common because clinicians frequently overlook other neurologic signs and because action tremor in the hands is caused by many conditions, including dystonia, Parkinson’s disease and drug-induced tremor.
DIAGNOSING: Diagnosing essential tremor involves reviewing your medical history, family history and symptoms and conducting a physical examination. There are currently no medical tests to diagnose essential tremor, and diagnosing it is often a matter of ruling out other conditions that could be causing your symptoms. Your doctor may suggest performing a neurological examination, laboratory tests, and performance tests to rule out other potential medical conditions that may cause you to experience symptoms similar to essential tumor. If your doctor is still unsure if your tremor is essential tremor or Parkinson’s disease, they may order a dopamine transporter scan. This scan can help your doctor tell the difference between the two types of tremor.
(Source: https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/essential-tremor/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20350539)
NEW TECHNOLOGY: Through a partnership with Insightec, Premier Health’s Miami Valley Hospital is the first hospital in Southwest Ohio to offer MR-guided Focused Ultrasound Treatment. Additionally, the hospital is one of eight centers in the U.S. offering Tremor Program Services. The Food and Drug Administration approved this procedure as an outpatient treatment option for certain patients who do not respond to ET or Parkinson’s medications. Focused ultrasound uses acoustic energy to target tissue deep in the brain without incisions or radiation. Patients who qualify for this outpatient procedure arrive at the hospital the day of their treatment and have their tremor monitored as they complete tasks such as drawing straight lines, signing their name, and following a circular line with an ink pen. Their head is shaved to ensure there is no interference with the energy delivered and a frame is attached to the patient’s head for stability. Once the anatomic target is confirmed doctors apply gradual energy to create a highly accurate and controllable lesion from a control room next door, and the result for many patients is immediate improvement of their hand tremor with minimal complications.
FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THIS REPORT, EXABLATE, PLEASE CONTACT:
Mary McGeever
If this story or any other Ivanhoe story has impacted your life or prompted you or someone you know to seek or change treatments, please let us know by contacting Marjorie Bekaert Thomas at mthomas@ivanhoe.com
