Experimental ultrasound ablation of the globus pallidus to manage Parkison’s disease
|
Reviewed by Dat Tien Nguyen, B.A, ScM.
|
Posted on February 27th, 2023
|
Recently, deep brain stimulation has been utilized to treat Parkinson’s disease. However, this procedure requires open brain surgery and frequent visits to the hospital for maintenance of the device. Thus, a less invasive method and requires less upkeep would be more efficient. A recent study sponsored by the medical device company Insightec had published their findings on the effectiveness of using ultrasound ablation to manage Parkinson’s.
The clinical trial included 94 patients with an average age of 64 years old. These patients are taking an average dose of 1050 mg of levodopa daily. 69 of these patients received ultrasound sonication of the internal segment of the globus pallidus internus; the remaining participants received a sham treatment without the sonication activated. The patient’s motor function was assessed using both the MDS-UPDRS III and the Unified Dyskinesia Rating Scale (UDysRS) scale. The 3-month post-treatment follow-up, an improvement in motor symptoms was presented in 45 out of the 69 patients (65%) who had received ultrasound ablation to their globus pallidus; whereas, improvement was only observed in 32% of the control group. This response was observed in 30 participants 1 year after the treatment. In terms of safety, the most common adverse events included dysarthria, gait disturbance, and loss of taste; these side effects were mild and resolved within a few months. Visual disturbance and facial weakness were also reported by 1 patient, but these symptoms resolved within 1 year.
The clinical trial included 94 patients with an average age of 64 years old. These patients are taking an average dose of 1050 mg of levodopa daily. 69 of these patients received ultrasound sonication of the internal segment of the globus pallidus internus; the remaining participants received a sham treatment without the sonication activated. The patient’s motor function was assessed using both the MDS-UPDRS III and the Unified Dyskinesia Rating Scale (UDysRS) scale. The 3-month post-treatment follow-up, an improvement in motor symptoms was presented in 45 out of the 69 patients (65%) who had received ultrasound ablation to their globus pallidus; whereas, improvement was only observed in 32% of the control group. This response was observed in 30 participants 1 year after the treatment. In terms of safety, the most common adverse events included dysarthria, gait disturbance, and loss of taste; these side effects were mild and resolved within a few months. Visual disturbance and facial weakness were also reported by 1 patient, but these symptoms resolved within 1 year.