AUTHOR=Wu Peihan , Lin Wei , Li Kun Hong , Lai Hui-Chin , Lee Ming-Tsung , Tsai Kevin Wen-Kai , Chiu Pai-Yi , Chang Wei-Chieh , Wei Cheng-Yu , Taira Takaomi 

TITLE=Focused Ultrasound Thalamotomy for the Treatment of Essential Tremor: A 2-Year Outcome Study of Chinese People

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience

VOLUME=Volume 13 - 2021

YEAR=2021

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/aging-neuroscience/articles/10.3389/fnagi.2021.697029

DOI=10.3389/fnagi.2021.697029

ISSN=1663-4365

ABSTRACT=Background: Essential tremor (ET) is a common movement disorder among elderly individuals worldwide and is occasionally associated with a high risk for mild cognitive impairment and dementia. This retrospective study aimed to determine the clinical outcome of unilateral magnetic resonance-guided focused ultrasound (MRgFUS) thalamotomy in Chinese patients with ET.
Methods: In total, 31 male and 17 female patients with drug-refractory ET were enrolled in this research from January 2017 to September 2019. Tremor severity and disability were assessed using the Clinical Rating Scale for Tremor (CRST) within a 2-year follow-up period.
Results: The mean age of the participants was 59.14 ± 13.5 years. The mean skull density ratio (SDR) was 0.5 ± 0.1. The mean highest temperature was 57.0 ± 2.4°C. The mean number of sonications was 10.0 ± 2.6. The average maximum energy was 19710.5 ± 8624.9 J. The total CRST scores and sub-scores after MRgFUS thalamotomy significantly reduced during each follow-up (p < 0.001). All but 4 (8.3%) of patients had reversible adverse events (AEs) after the procedure.
Conclusions: MRgFUS thalamotomy had sustained clinical efficacy 2 years after treatment for intractable ET. Only few patients presented with thalamotomy-related AEs including numbness, weakness, and ataxia for an extended period. Most Chinese patients were treated safely and effectively despite their low SDR.