Clinical Trial of MRGFUS for Essential Tremor began in Taiwan

The first participant in a Taiwan clinical trial of non-invasive MR-guided focused ultrasound underwent the procedure.

Insightec is excited to announce that the first participant in a Taiwan clinical trial of non-invasive MR-guided focused ultrasound underwent the procedure. The procedure was performed by the team at Show Chwan Memorial Hospital in ChangHua using Insightec’s Exablate Neuro system.

“We are excited to be the first hospital to perform this innovative focused ultrasound treatment as part of a clinical trial for essential tremor patients in Taiwan.” commented Dr. Min-Ho Huang, the President of Show Chwan Health Care system.

“The first clinical trial of Exablate Neuro in Taiwan represents a significant milestone in the adoption of this non-invasive treatment for essential tremor in the China, Taiwan and Hong Kong markets,” said Peng Qiu, Country Manager of China at Insightec. “We hope to bring this new and innovative treatment option to millions of patients suffering from essential tremor in our region,” he commented.

Exablate Neuro, which is approved for use in the US, Japan, Canada and European Union, among others, uses high intensity focused ultrasound waves to ablate, or destroy, the very small part of the brain which controls tremor. The treatment is incisionless and is performed in the MRI suite. The patient is awake and fully conscious providing important feedback on the improvement of the tremor and any potential side effects. The result for certain patients is an immediate and significant reduction of their tremor.

Essential tremor is the most common movement disorder, affecting around 42 million people worldwide. The most common symptom is hand tremor which makes everyday tasks such as eating, dressing and writing difficult. Patients who fail to respond to medication are often considering invasive surgical procedures such as Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) or radiofrequency (RF) thalamotomy. Non-invasive focused ultrasound treatment minimizes risk of infection, bleeding or other surgical complications and allows patients to return home usually the same day.

The clinical trial team at Show Chwan Memorial Hospital was clinically trained and instructed by Prof. Takaomi Taira, from Tokyo Women’s Medical University (TWMU), Tokyo, Japan.