Magnetic Resonance-Guided Focused Ultrasound Neurosurgery for Essential Tremor: A Health Technology Assessment.

Conclusions: MRgFUS neurosurgery is an effective and generally safe treatment option for moderate to severe, medication-refractory essential tremor. It provides a treatment option for people ineligible for invasive neurosurgery and offers a noninvasive option for all people considering neurosurgery.For people ineligible for invasive neurosurgery, MRgFUS neurosurgery is cost-effective compared with no surgery. In people eligible for invasive neurosurgery, MRgFUS neurosurgery may be one of several reasonable options. Publicly funding MRgFUS neurosurgery for the treatment of moderate to severe, medication-refractory essential tremor in Ontario at the current case load would have a net budget impact of about $1 million per year for the next 5 years.People with essential tremor who had undergone MRgFUS neurosurgery reported positive experiences. They liked that it was a noninvasive procedure and reported a substantial reduction in tremor that resulted in an improvement in their quality of life. PMID: 29805721 [PubMed - in process]
Source: Ontario Health Technology Assessment Series - Category: General Medicine Tags: Ont Health Technol Assess Ser Source Type: research