The ultrasonic treatment was described as “magic” by a Surrey woman who was unable to eat or drink due to a neurological problem.<\/p>\n
After physicians used sound waves to operate deep into Mary Hapgood’s brain, the 72-year-old from Cobham, Surrey, said her life had been “completely transformed”.<\/p>\n
It coincides with a request for the treatment to be expanded to more NHS hospitals by the neurosurgeon who performed the non-invasive essential tremor<\/a> (ET) surgery.<\/p>\n According to a representative for the NHS, the two facilities that were contracted to offer the treatment would “provide sufficient capacity to meet national demand”.<\/p>\n Over a million people in the UK suffer with the disorder, which causes involuntary shaking of certain body parts, but recent research has shown that little is still known about it.<\/p>\n According to the National Tremor Foundation<\/a>, ET is eight to ten times more common than Parkinson’s disease and is one of the most common neurological movement disorders.<\/p>\n However, before receiving a diagnosis, 70% of individuals with ET were unaware of it.<\/p>\n It can occasionally be treated with medications, which have the potential to cause major negative effects, or brain surgery, which carries the risk of infection and stroke.<\/p>\n Over the course of her 50 years, Ms. Hapgood’s ET gradually got worse.<\/p>\n Her hands were “flapping in the wind” and she claims that “it would have been very obvious” prior to the treatment.<\/p>\n She could hardly get her hand to her face without trembling, which made eating and drinking extremely difficult.<\/p>\n But thanks to the MRI guided focused ultrasound treatment<\/a>, she was able to avoid having surgery.<\/p>\n Strong ultrasonic waves are used in conjunction with MRI scanners to target specific regions of the brain as part of the treatment.<\/p>\n Prof. Ludvic Zrinzo is a specialist in the surgical treatment of chronic neurological diseases, including tremor, and is affiliated with the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery of the University College London Hospitals NHS Trust.<\/p>\n “I don’t need to polish my knife or get my scalpel out… but I’m still going deep into the brain in a very precise way minimising the risks and improving patient outcomes,” he stated.<\/p>\n There are now only two NHS centers offering the procedure, and patients must wait up to five years to receive specialist ultrasound care on the NHS.<\/p>\n “That is not enough, there are clearly too many patients and these centres are being overwhelmed,” said Professor Zrinzo.<\/p>\n