Focused Ultrasound a promising treatment for essential tremor

Approximately 10 million Americans suffer from some form of essential tremor, a condition that causes uncontrollable shaking of the hands, head and voice. Neurosurgeons with the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine at Tampa General Hospital now offer Focused Ultrasound, a promising out-patient and FDA-approved procedure.

Recently David Sherwood successfully underwent the procedure. His head was fitted in a helmet surrounded by a soft membrane filled with cool water, a medium through which the ultrasound’s sound waves travel. A computer then carefully calibrates 1,024 independent ultrasound transducers arrayed around the head to precisely focus the ultrasound beams on targets such as the thalamus, an area of the brain that controls muscle activity and causes tremors. The patient is awake throughout the procedure.

For more information: https://hscweb3.hsc.usf.edu/blog/2022/05/16/tampa-general-hospital-and-usf-health-neurosurgeons-first-in-tampa-bay-to-provide-patients-new-innovative-ultrasound-technology/