VUMC set to debut focused ultrasound treatment for tremors, Parkinson’s disease

The movement disorder neurology and neurosurgery team at Vanderbilt University Medical Center is set to add focused ultrasound treatment (FUS) as a new tool in the treatment of essential tremor and Parkinson’s disease. 

FUS is a minimally invasive procedure for the treatment of tremors or Parkinson’s disease. Performed in an outpatient clinic with MRI as the navigation tool, FUS uses sound waves to target precise spots in the brain that are responsible for movement disorder symptoms with no surgical incision or anesthesia.

“This technology is rapidly growing in the treatment of essential tremor and Parkinson’s disease, and other indications are being studied. Vanderbilt’s movement disorder program is among the first in the country to be using the latest version of this focused ultrasound that was introduced this past year and is focused on improved patient experience. We are excited for the ways it can impact and improve patients’ quality of life,” said Dario Englot, MD, PhD, associate professor of Neurological Surgery and the director of Functional Neurosurgery at VUMC.

Englot, who leads the Brain Imaging and Electrophysiology Network (BIEN) laboratory, and Travis Hassell, MD, PhD, assistant professor of Neurology and clinical director of the Deep Brain Stimulation and Focused Ultrasound Program, are two of the physicians currently evaluating patients as candidates for FUS, which will be available in late summer or fall.

Essential tremor is a common movement disorder that most often impacts people’s arms but can impact the head, legs, torso and voice. In the U.S. an estimated 7 million people have essential tremor — that’s about the population of Tennessee in 2022. Nearly 1 million people in the U.S. suffer from Parkinson’s disease, a chronic, progressive brain disorder that affects individuals’ movement and quality of life. 

The recent approval of FUS for tremor-dominant Parkinson’s means patients have another potential mechanism to treat movement interruptions that are often associated with the neurological condition, said Hassell. VUMC is among the top three centers in the U.S. by volume offering advanced procedures for movement disorders.  

“As a leader in movement disorder care, we are excited to now offer a state-of-the-art minimally invasive therapy option for our patients who are suffering from tremor and are looking for new definitive treatment alternatives,” said Hassell.

For additional information about the use of focused ultrasound at VUMC, contact the Advanced Movement Disorder Therapies Program by email or phone at (615) 322-0141 or (615) 875-5645.