MRI-guided focused ultrasound technique a boon for Parkinson's patients: Expert

Kolkata: MRI-guided focused ultrasound technique is a boon for Parkinson’s patients.

Umpteen patients experience relief from severe symptoms such as tremors, rigidity in the legs and arms after the treatment said Dr Naresh Purohit, Executive Member, Indian Academy of Neurosciences.

After addressing a Continuing Medical Education Programme (CME), organised by the Kolkata-based West Bengal University of Health Sciences on the occasion of World Parkinson's Day, Principal Investigator for the Association of Studies for Mental Care - Dr Purohit told UNl here on Wednesday that scientific research on parkinson's patients with focused ultrasound has shown less ominous side effects since there's no risk of infection or damage to blood vessels from the electrodes.

He explained that focused ultrasound is an incision-less procedure, performed without the need for anaesthesia or an in-patient stay in the hospital.

"Patients, who are fully alert, lie in a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner, wearing a transducer helmet. Ultrasonic energy is targeted through the skull to the globus pallidus, a structure deep in the brain that helps control regular voluntary movement. MRI images provide medics with a real-time temperature map of the area being treated. During the procedure, the patient is awake and providing feedback, which allows medics to monitor the immediate effects of the tissue ablation and make adjustments as needed," he said.

"Presently, this procedure can only be used to treat one side of the brain, so it is more appropriate for patients with symptoms predominantly on one side. However, research into bilateral focused ultrasound is ongoing and shows very promising results,” he added.

Noted Epidemiologist Dr Purohit averred that Parkinson’s disease, is a neurodegenerative disorder that affects brain cells or neurons in a specific area of the brain that produce the brain chemical dopamine.

Chronic deficiency in dopamine, triggers increasing muscle stiffness, tremors, difficulties with speaking, fatigue, dizziness and a loss of coordination and balance. Falling is a big problem, especially as symptoms progress.

He stated that research all over the world has shown that many forms of high-intensity exercise, and particularly boxing, may slow the progression of Parkinson’s symptoms. Boxing also seems to help with other neurological disorders, such as multiple sclerosis and stroke.

He pointed that other current treatments for Parkinson’s include medications and deep brain stimulation from surgically implanted electrodes.

Experts in the CME said Parkinson’s disease not only robs people over time of their mobility, but erodes social networks built over years of shared interests and experiences. Symptoms like involuntary head shaking and jerking of the limbs — which can also be caused by their medications — may cause many to feel acutely self-conscious to the point of avoiding almost all social activity. (UNI)