PARKINSON’S DISEASE

In an estimated 26% of Parkinson’s disease (PD) patients2, the primary symptom is tremor. These patients initially have tremor and as the disease progresses, they may experience onset of other symptoms. However, tremor remains the symptom with the most severe impact on their daily activities.

MR-guided focused ultrasound (MRgFUS) provides an incisionless treatment option for tremor-dominant Parkinson’s patients who do not respond to medications. Candidates for treatment must be Parkinsonian tremor patients 30 years or older.

During treatment, ultrasound waves heat and ablate the deep brain target with no surgical incisions. Treatment is guided by MR imaging for patient-specific planning, real-time temperature monitoring as well as immediate assessment of treatment outcome.

The result for many patients is immediate improvement of tremor with minimal complications.

2 Grosset, D. (2009). Clinical diagnosis of parkinsonism and tremor. In M. Okun, K. Grosset, H. Fernandez, D. Grosset (Eds.), Parkinson’s Disease: Clinican’s Desk Reference (pp. 33). Boca Raton, Florida: CRC Press.

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“All of a sudden, I mean, it just hits you. The relaxation was so instantaneous. It didn’t come on slowly. It was like. one minute you’re all tense. And the next minute you just relax. It’s the best feeling in the world. Yeah, I mean, feel like you can breathe. Like you’re flying.”

– Marie Baker, Treatment Patient

Incision-free. Outpatient. Life-changing.

Treatment and Benefits

Discover how Incisionless Focused Ultrasound can diminish or eliminate symptoms safely and effectively — without a scalpel, hospital stay, or lengthy recovery time.

  • Incisionless Surgery

    Means little to no risk of infection.1

  • No General Anesthesia Required

    No invasive burr holes or implants.

  • Improvement in Hand Tremor

    Stably maintained at 3 years.1

  • Personalized Treatment

    With sub-millimeter target movement.

  • Single Session Treatment

    with minimal hospitalization.

  • Safe and Effective

    With minimal side effects.1

Clinical Study

Overview

Insightec sponsored a pivotal trial of the Exablate Neuro platform to evaluate MRI-guided focused ultrasound thalamotomy to treat patients with medication-refractory tremor-dominant Parkinson’s disease (PD).

Efficacy results

Median tremor scores improved 51.9% versus 12.7% for the treatment and sham groups, respectively, at 3-month follow-up.1 There was a trend of improvement from baseline observed in the Exablate-treated group not seen in the sham group which persisted through 12-month follow-up.

1 Pre-Market Approval (PMA) P150038

Safety Results

Insightec-sponsored clinical studies have shown that the most common adverse events associated with this treatment included numbness/tingling (7%), imbalance (4%), gait disturbance (2%), and unsteadiness (1%).

The number in parentheses is the percentage of subjects who experienced the side effect.

Most of these events were classified as mild or moderate, and 58% resolving on the same day as treatment or within one week of treatment. Two treatment-related severe AEs were reported: one subject experienced ataxia/hemiparesis (weakness on one side of the body) which resolved in 30 days and one subject experienced severe hemiparesis. It should be noted that improvements in training, targeting, MR thermal monitoring, and cavitation detection have advanced since the study was conducted.

For additional safety information, please refer to Pre-Market Approval (PMA) P150038

Safety Information

Important Safety Information

You should have a detailed conversation with your physician regarding complications, also known as adverse events, that you may experience.

Insightec-sponsored clinical studies have shown that the most common adverse events experienced after treatment included: 1) imbalance/gait disturbance (26%), 2) numbness/tingling (33%), and 3) headache/head pain (51%). Most of these events were classified as mild or moderate, and 48% of all adverse events resolved on their own within 30 days.

Adverse events that persisted at 3 years were all mild or moderate and included: numbness/tingling (9%), imbalance (4%), unsteadiness (4%), gait disturbance (2%), and musculoskeletal weakness (2%). Additional infrequent events include dizziness, taste disturbance, slurred speech, fatigue, and vomiting.

The number in parenthesis is the percentage of active subjects experiencing these adverse events.

For details of the clinical study methods and results, download Clinical Study Results. For additional safety information, please refer to Pre-Market Approval (PMA) P150038

Regulatory Approval

FDA Approved

The Exablate Neuro is intended for use in the unilateral Thalamotomy treatment of idiopathic Essential Tremor patients with medication-refractory tremor. Patients must be at least age 22. The designated area in the brain responsible for the movement disorder symptoms (ventralis intermedius) must be identified and accessible for targeted thermal ablation by the Exablate device.

Click here to view the regulatory approvals of Insightec products by country.

Advocacy Partners

From working diligently toward medical advances, to providing holistic community support, Advocacy groups like the ones below champion both patients and the healthcare professionals treating them.

  • Focused Ultrasound Foundation (FUSF)

    Focused Ultrasound Foundation. FUSF was created to improve the lives of millions of people with serious medical disorders by accelerating the development and adoption of focused ultrasound.

    Visit Website
  • PMD Alliance

    PMD Alliance offers opportunities for people impacted by Parkinson and other movement disorders to learn, live more fully and connect to a support community.

    Visit Website

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