UHealth’s neurosurgery program is offering an incisionless treatment option for people living with medication refractory essential tremor and certain forms of Parkinson’s disease. Focused ultrasound uses precisely targeted sound waves to treat tremor without open surgery, implanted hardware or an overnight hospital stay.

The procedure is performed inside an MRI scanner, allowing physicians to target specific areas of the brain with a high degree of accuracy. The technology concentrates more than 1,000 ultrasound beams on a single point, raising the temperature just enough to disrupt the abnormal circuitry responsible for tremor. For many patients, the result can be rapid symptom relief and a quicker return home.

“This is completely done in an MRI, so there’s no operating room,” said Jonathan Jagid, M.D., a Miller School professor of clinical neurological surgery. “Typically, patients would go home the same day. With surgery, patients usually have to spend at least a night in the hospital.”

What Current Research Shows About Focused Ultrasound

A substantial body of medical research supports focused ultrasound as an effective and durable option for carefully selected patients with medication refractory tremor. Long-term data from a pivotal multicenter clinical trial published in the Journal of Neurosurgery show that patients treated with MRI guided focused ultrasound for essential tremor maintained an average 73 percent reduction in tremor severity at five years, with no new or delayed adverse events reported during follow up. Quality of life measures in these studies also remained significantly improved years after treatment.

Recent prospective and continued access studies have reinforced those findings, demonstrating sustained improvements in tremor scores, functional ability and patient reported quality of life, with most side effects characterized as mild to moderate and often resolving over time.

A Noninvasive Option for Select Patients

Focused ultrasound has received FDA approval for specific indications, including benign essential tremor and tremor predominant Parkinson’s disease. While Parkinson’s disease includes a range of symptoms, some patients are primarily affected by disabling tremor, making them potential candidates for this approach.

Unlike traditional neurosurgical procedures, focused ultrasound does not require scalp incisions or implanted devices. Patients remain awake during the procedure, which allows clinicians to observe tremor changes in real time as treatment is delivered. Physicians can first apply sublethal doses of energy to confirm that they are targeting the correct area before creating the permanent therapeutic lesion.

“You can actually see what you’re going to get before you create the lesion,” Dr. Jagid explained.

That built-in feedback adds an important layer of safety and precision.