Don Wahl (seated) gives a thumb’s up after undergoing MR-guided focused ultrasound for essential tremor at the WVU Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute. He is pictured with the team that performed the procedure.
MORGANTOWN — The WVU Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute has rolled out a new, non-invasive treatment for patients living with movement disorders — becoming the first center in the state and one of only 15 in the nation to offer the treatment.
That treatment comes in the form of MR-guided focused ultrasound. This is a new treatment for essential tremor and tremor-dominant Parkinson’s disease that requires no exposure to radiation or even an incision, which was recently approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
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| Ali Rezai, M.D |
“This new, FDA-approved innovative technology is a major advance for the treatment of patients with essential tremor and Parkinson’s tremor,” said Ali Rezai, M.D., executive chair of the neuroscience institute. “The focused ultrasound procedure does not require surgery or cutting the skin, and improvements are seen immediately. We are excited to provide focused ultrasound treatment for people from West Virginia and surrounding areas who do not have readily available access to this new technology.”
The Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute performed its first MR-guided focused ultrasound procedure for essential tremor on June 18. The first patient was Don Wahl, a 71-year-old man with progressively worsening tremors that impacted all aspects of his life. The procedure took two hours, and the immediate resolution of the tremor was the end result. For this procedure, patients spend one night in the hospital for observation and are discharged the next day.
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| Dr. Ann Murray |
“As a health-care provider, there is nothing more rewarding than being able to improve a patient’s quality of life,” said Dr. Ann Murray, director of the WVU Comprehensive Movement Disorders Clinic. “This new technology is one of the many tools we now have to get patients back to living the life they want. This is a tremendous asset not only for the people of West Virginia and across the region, but for the many people across the country now coming to West Virginia to have their movement disorders managed.”
Affecting more than 5 million people in the United States and millions more globally, essential tremor is the most common movement disorder.
Parkinson’s disease is a degenerative disease of the brain that affects more than 1 million Americans. The symptoms are tremor, stiffness and slowness of movements. The tremor can be severe and disabling for both essential tremor and Parkinson’s disease patients. However, focused ultrasound is an option if tremor control via medication has proven inadequate.
Patients with essential tremor, Parkinson’s and other movement disorders are treated at the WVU Comprehensive Movement Disorders Clinic. There, neurologists who specialize in movement disorders work in collaboration with experts from a wide variety of fields to help patients regain optimal motor control of their bodies. These include neurosurgery, neuropsychology, neuropsychiatry, physical and occupational therapy and otolaryngology.
This isn’t the first triumph for the Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute’s use of ultrasound technology. It has also been demonstrated as a means of treating Alzheimer’s disease in the case of West Virginia health-care worker and former WVU Children’s Hospital Neonatal Intensive Care Unit nurse Judi Polak. She, along with other patients, shared her experiences following a large renovation of the institute this spring to enhance its capabilities.
https://www.wvnews.com/news/wvnews/wvu-neuroscience-institute-has-new-non-invasive-treatment-available-for/article_a3610a66-24fd-54ae-a229-980e02496c6b.html
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