[Experience of staged and simultaneous bilateral thalamotomy using MR-guided focused ultrasound in the treatment of essential tremor].

Objective: To show that effective and safe bilateral MR-guided focused ultrasound (MRgFUS) treatment of essential tremor (ET) is achievable.

Material And Methods: Four male patients underwent bilateral thalamotomy. Two patients underwent staged thalamotomy, with the ≥12 month interval between operations. Two patients underwent simultaneous bilateral thalamotomy.

Results: After six months, all patients noted a significant reduction in symptoms on both sides: when assessing tremors with the Clinical Rating Scale for Tremor, the severity of hyperkinesis decreased by 57.5-69.7%. We did not observe any complications in any of the cases.

Conclusion: Our experience indicates that simultaneous bilateral MRI-guided focused ultrasound treatment of ET can be performed safely and effectively. Further research is necessary to estimate the effectiveness and adverse effect rates.