Dr. Casey Halpern was one of the first neurosurgeons in the United States to perform MR-Guided Focused Ultrasound also known as HIFU for tremor with a pivotal trial published in the New England Journal of Medicine.
Dr. Halpern worked with an international team of movement disorder specialists, radiologists, and surgeons to get this non-invasive treatment approved by the United States FDA. This is a highly specialized procedure, and Penn Medicine is the only center in the region that offers Focused Ultrasound for tremor and Parkinson’s disease.
The MR-Guided Focused Ultrasound system can be used for treatments of tremors, essential tremor, and Parkinson's Disease. It utilizes highly intense but finely tuned and focused beams of acoustic (i.e. ultrasonic) energy to heat and ablate small, targeted areas of the human brain without harming adjacent tissues. To ensure safety, we use an MRI thermal imaging system as a heat map to measure all of the temperature changes occurring in the skull during the procedure.
There are many benefits to using Focused Ultrasound for treatment with the main ones being that is non-invasive. While side effects can be felt during the recovery from this procedure, the overwhelming majority of patients find them to be mild and transient. For patients experiencing debilitating tremor, this specialized treatment can be transformative and nearly curative at least for the dominant or most troubling hand. Dr. Halpern and colleagues are also extending its applicability to dyskinesia and on-off fluctuations in Parkinson’s.
Here at Penn Medicine, patients can learn about both Deep Brain Stimulation and Focused Ultrasound to figure out with their doctors which is best for them. This comprehensive program is one-of-a-kind. Our team offers both technologies to patients and will help guide them and their families with getting the best treatment for their specific situation.
