High-Intensity Focused Ultrasound
Advancing incisionless brain treatment for tremor
Incisionless. Outpatient. Life-Changing.
High-Intensity Focused Ultrasound (HIFU) is a pioneering treatment for essential tremor and certain symptoms of Parkinson’s disease, with additional indications expected in the near future. Using incisionless sound waves to precisely ablate deep brain targets that cause tremor, the procedure is performed in a single, outpatient procedure with many patients showing immediate improvement in the treated side with minimal or no complications.
“Your support is a powerful vote of confidence in our program and advancing non-invasive treatment options for patients across S.C. This transformational gift will help us become the first in the state to offer this cutting-edge technology, significantly advancing care for individuals with neurological conditions and beyond.”
-Erwin Z. Mangubat, MD, MPH Chief of Neurosurgery, Prisma Health Neurosurgery
Benefits for patients
Immediate and durable tremor improvement
Significant improvement in Quality of Life
Outpatient and home the same day
Little to no risk of infection
No implants, probes or ionizing radiation
No anesthesia
Minimal complications
How it works
Sound waves are directed from a helmet-shaped device with no incisions
Where the sound waves meet, a lesion about the size of a pea is made to disrupt the abnormal circuit
The target is the Vim of the thalamus, same as used for deep brain stimulation (DBS) and surgical thalamotomy
Many patients experience immediate tremor improvement
To learn more about High-Intensity Focused Ultrasound and how you can support, contact Katherine Davis at Katherine.Davis@PrismaHealth.org.