Norton Neuroscience Institute will be the first and only facility in Kentucky to offer MRI-guided high-frequency focused ultrasound for essential tremor and tremor-dominant Parkinson’s disease. This life-changing treatment has been shown to dramatically improve tremor symptoms for patients starting on the day of treatment. The technology will be purchased with $2.8 million in funding through the Norton Healthcare Foundation.

High-frequency focused ultrasound is expected to be operational at Norton Neuroscience Institute in October 2024.

“This procedure is a game changer for our ability to treat patients with essential tremor and tremor-dominant Parkinson’s disease,” said Abigail J. Rao, M.D., stereotactic and functional neurosurgeon with Norton Neuroscience Institute. “Acquiring this technology advances our mission of giving patients the best possible outcomes, while further establishing Norton Neuroscience Institute as the regional leader in advanced neurological care.”

The treatment is an incisionless surgery, by which several ultrasound beams are focused down to millimeter accuracy, carefully creating a small lesion in a specific part of the brain. The patient lies in an MRI scanner that allows frequent scans to monitor the location, size and temperature of the lesion being created. During that process, the patient wears a helmet-like device filled with cool water that has more than 1,000 ultrasound transmitters, while the surgeon also tests the patient’s tremor and neurologic function. The newly created lesion provides immediate and dramatic relief of hand tremor and other symptoms of movement disorders, allowing for better motor control for life’s daily tasks or hobbies, as well as better quality of life.

The surgery does not require any anesthesia or hospital stay.

“This is truly groundbreaking technology that will allow us to help so many people in new ways,” said Lynnie Meyer, R.N., Ed.D., FAHP, CFRE, senior vice president and chief development officer, Norton Healthcare. “As focused ultrasound progresses, we hope to see its benefit in treating other conditions.”

The focused ultrasound surgery has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration since 2016 and is backed by years of data, which has shown most patients experience immediate, significant relief from tremor symptoms. The most common side effects include imbalance and numbness, but these usually subside within a few weeks.

To qualify for the treatment, a patient must have a confirmed diagnosis that is not adequately controlled by medication. The patient’s anatomy is carefully studied, and the surgery is planned, with CT and MRI scans taken prior to the day of the procedure. After the procedure, the patient receives a follow-up MRI to evaluate the lesion.

Patients can schedule an appointment by calling (502) 671-9489, emailing FocusedUltrasound@nortonhealthcare.org or visiting NortonHealthcare.com/FocusedUltrasound.