MRI-guided focused ultrasound (MRgFUS) may allow clinicians to ablate brain tissue in patients with epileptic seizures, without a single incision or radiation, according to researchers from Ohio.
The group, led by Dr. Vibhor Krishna from the Ohio State University, is conducting a clinical trial investigating the efficacy of MRgFUS in 10 adults with refractory lobe focal onset epilepsy whose condition has not responded to medication.
Thus far, Krishna and colleagues have treated one 58-year-old man with MRgFUS. During the three-hour-long procedure, the patient's head was surrounded by a water bath and an ultrasound transducer shaped like a helmet. He was also lying inside an MRI system completely awake, providing real-time feedback to the surgical team. This setup allowed the researchers to visualize the patient's brain as he underwent focused ultrasound surgery.
Patient undergoes an MRI-guided focused ultrasound procedure. Image courtesy of Ohio State University."We're pursuing this clinical trial because we know there's a large unmet clinical need," Krishna said in a statement from the university. "More than 20 million people worldwide live with uncontrollable seizures because no available treatment works for them."
