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High‐intensity focused ultrasound for noninvasive functional neurosurgery
Author(s) -
Martin Ernst,
Jeanmonod Daniel,
Morel Anne,
Zadicario Eyal,
Werner Beat
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
annals of neurology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 4.764
H-Index - 296
eISSN - 1531-8249
pISSN - 0364-5134
DOI - 10.1002/ana.21801
Subject(s) - medicine , neurosurgery , high intensity focused ultrasound , magnetic resonance imaging , radiology , ultrasound , intensity (physics) , focused ultrasound , nuclear medicine , physics , quantum mechanics
Transcranial magnetic resonance (MR)‐guided high‐intensity focused ultrasound (tcMRgHIFU) implies a novel, noninvasive treatment strategy for various brain diseases. Nine patients with chronic neuropathic pain were treated with selective medial thalamotomies. Precisely located thermal ablations of 4mm in diameter were produced at peak temperatures of 51°C to 60°C under continuous visual MR guidance and MR thermometry. The resulting lesions are clearly visible on follow‐up MR imaging. All treatments were well tolerated, without side effects or neurological deficits. This is the first report on successful clinical application of tcMRgHIFU in functional brain disorders, portraying it as safe and reliable for noninvasive neurosurgical interventions. Ann Neurol 2009;66:858–861