The American Society for Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery (ASSFN) has updated its position statement on MRI-guided focused ultrasound (MRgFUS) thalamotomy for the management of tremor in patients with essential tremor and Parkinson's disease, according to an article published March 27 in the Journal of Neurosurgery.
For essential tremor, the society said MRgFUS thalamotomy is supported by several open-label studies and one prospective, double-blind, sham-controlled randomized clinical trial that showed a 47% improvement in hand tremor in the short term, with benefits sustained over the long term, according to the statement. Studies of bilateral staged MRgFUS thalamotomy in essential tremor patients found that tremor improvement on the second side was comparable to that seen after the first procedure.
For Parkinson's disease tremor, the efficacy of the procedure is supported by a systematic meta-analysis, one randomized clinical trial, and one prospective cohort study, though the society noted that long-term durability of the therapy remains unknown. Common early adverse effects include gait disturbance and paresthesias, which tend to subside over time; other reported side effects include dysarthria, ataxia, taste disturbance, motor deficits, and speech difficulty, the society said.
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