Tremor patient says ultrasound treatment has 'changed' his life

22 minutes ago

by Mark Norman, BBC South East Health Correspondent

BBC/Mark Norman

A Surrey woman who underwent ultrasound treatment to treat a neurological condition which makes it difficult for her to eat and drink has hailed the treatment as “magic”.

Mary Hapgood, 72, from Cobham, Surrey, said her life had “completely changed” after doctors used sound waves to operate deep inside her brain.

The announcement comes as neurosurgeons who perform a non-invasive procedure for essential tremor (ET) have called for the treatment to be introduced in more NHS hospitals.

An NHS spokesman said the two centres commissioned to provide the treatment “provide sufficient capacity to meet national demand”.

The condition, which causes involuntary shaking of body parts, affects more than a million people in the UK but new research has highlighted how it remains poorly understood.

National Shivering Foundation ET is considered one of the most common neuromotor disorders and is estimated to occur 8–10 times more frequently than Parkinson's disease.

However, 70% of people with ET had never heard of it before their diagnosis.

It can sometimes be treated with medication or brain surgery, which can have serious side effects, but carry the risk of stroke and infection.

BBC/Mark Norman

Hapgood has had ET for 50 years, and her symptoms have gradually worsened over time.

She says that before the treatment, her “hands were flapping in the wind” and “it would have been very noticeable.”

I couldn't put my hand to my face without shaking, which made eating and drinking very stressful.

But she was able to avoid surgery. MRI-guided focused ultrasound therapy.

As part of the treatment, an MRI scanner is combined with powerful ultrasound waves that target very small parts of the brain.

BBC/Mark Norman

Professor Ludwig Zrinzo, from the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, University College London Hospital NHS Trust, specialises in the surgical treatment of chronic neurological conditions, including tremors.

“We don't have to sharpen our knives or get out our scalpels, but we're reaching deep into the brain in a very precise way while minimizing risk and improving patient outcomes,” he said.

The treatment is currently only available at two NHS centres, meaning patients can wait up to five years to receive focused ultrasound treatment on the NHS.

BBC/Mark Norman

“It's not enough, there are clearly too many patients and these centres are overwhelmed,” Professor Zrinzo said.

“We are keen for the equipment in our national hospitals to be commissioned by the NHS and are working with our commissioners to make this happen.”

Hapgood agrees: “I think we should have more MRI scanners. I really support that because I went through a terrible time where I was shaking to do anything. It's really awful,” she said.

But an NHS spokesman said the two specialist centres had been commissioned, with an estimated 50 to 150 patients a year who would need the treatment.

“Based on current referral volumes and activity within the service, the two centres provide sufficient capacity to meet national demand and this will continue to be monitored,” they added.

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