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- Title
3T magnetic resonance-guided focused ultrasound unilateral thalamotomy of ventral intermediate nucleus in patients with essential tremor: Single center clinical experience over 3 years.
- Authors
Longhi, Michele; Bulgarelli, Giorgia; Tamburin, Stefano; Ricciardi, Giuseppe Kenneth; Zivelonghi, Emanuele; Foroni, Roberto; Bovi, Tommaso; Montemezzi, Stefania; Nicolato, Antonio
- Abstract
Background and aims: Magnetic resonance-guided focused ultrasound (MRgFUS) unilateral thalamotomy of the ventralis intermedius (Vim) nucleus is emerging as a minimally invasive treatment for patients with disabling and medication-refractory essential tremor (ET). We report our preliminary three-year experience on 52 patients with ET treated from January 2018 to December 2020 in a single center (University Hospital of Verona). Methods: From January 2018 to December 2020, 52 patients (31 men, 21 women, age: 73.5 ± 7.8 years) underwent MRgFUS thalamotomy of the Vim nucleus for disabling and refractory ET (tremor duration: 22.6 ± 12.1 years) with a 3T magnetic resonance scanner (MRgFUS Insightec Exablate 4000) at Verona University Hospital. Results: At baseline the total Clinical Rating Scale for Tremor (CRST) score was 45.8 ± 15.6, and the Quality of Life in Essential Tremor Questionnaire (QUEST) score was 40.8 ± 13.8. At one-month follow-up, the total CRST score was 12.8 ± 6.3 and the QUEST score was 10.5 ± 4.1. Response persisted in the majority of patients at three-month, six-month, one-year, two-year and threeyear follow-up. Side effects related to Vim nucleus thalamotomy included ataxia, speech disturbances, ballism, paraesthesia, and lower extremity weakness. These side effects were mild and transient in most patients. Conclusions: Our data confirm that MRgFUS thalamotomy of the Vim nucleus is an effective and safe treatment for disabling and refractory ET and its effects are long-lasting.
- Publication
Journal of Radiosurgery & SBRT, 2022, Vol 8, p56
- ISSN
2156-4639
- Publication type
Academic Journal