MEDIA RELEASE PR35370
A Swiss Team Uses Transcranial MR-Guided Focused Ultrasound to Treat Patients
With Functional Brain Disorders
TIRAT CARMEL, July 14 /PRNewswire-AsiaNet/ --
- Ten-Patient Feasibility Study Shows Safety and Potential for
Non-Invasive Deep Brain Ablation
InSightec Ltd. today announced that a team at the University
Children's Hospital Zurich has completed a feasibility study testing the use
of non-invasive transcranial MR-guided focused ultrasound surgery (MRgFUS)
for the treatment of neuropathic pain. Ten adult patients diagnosed with
chronic neuropathic pain successfully underwent non-invasive deep brain
ablation surgery (central lateral thalamotomy) with transcranial MRgFUS and
showed improvement in pain scores and reduction of pain medication with no
adverse effects at three months follow-up. This is the first study in the
world to test non-invasive transcranial focused ultrasound as a treatment
modality for functional brain disorders.
"This study showed that we can perform successful operations
in the depth of the brain without opening the cranium or physically
penetrating the brain with medical tools, something that appeared to be
unimaginable only a few years ago," said Daniel Jeanmonod, neurosurgeon at
the University of Zurich. "By eliminating any physical penetration into the
brain, we hope to duplicate the therapeutic effects of invasive deep brain
ablation without the side effects for a wider group of patients."
Neurosurgeons currently treat patients with functional
neurological disorders such as neuropathic pain or Parkinson's disease by
inserting a tiny probe through the cranium and brain to reach and ablate
damaged tissue.
"The more traditional invasive treatment works to alleviate
pain and other symptoms, however it exposes the patient to complications,
including infections, bleeding and damage to surrounding brain tissue," Dr.
Jeanmonod explained. "Also, only patients whose target tissue lies in the
clear path of the probe are eligible for the invasive procedure," he said.
"We now have early clinical evidence suggesting that
transcranial MRgFUS provides a safe and effective way to non-invasively
ablate tissue deep within the brain," said Ernst Martin, M.D., Director of
the Magnetic Resonance Center at the University Children's Hospital Zurich.
"While we need to monitor these patients further, we are very encouraged by
the results to date and look forward to continuing our research. A
non-invasive treatment that reduces the risk of infection and bleeding will
fill an unmet need for many patients who currently have run out of treatment
options or are unwilling to undergo invasive brain surgery because of the
risks associated with it."
One patient in the study suffered nerve damage from a spinal
tumor that led to severe pain and cramps in his right arm. The pain persisted
for years and the patient ultimately reported depression and suicidal
thoughts because of his condition. Immediately after receiving transcranial
MRgFUS treatment on his brain, he reported that the pain had disappeared. A
short time later he was able to resume normal activities that his neuropathic
pain had prevented him from doing, such as gardening and outings in the
country with his family.
The Swiss research team is planning a larger study for
functional brain disorders and expands its clinical research to movement
disorders, such as Parkinson's disease and tremor, and to other functional
neurological disorders later this year. Additional sites in North America are
also expected to initiate clinical research programs in functional brain
disorders with transcranial MRgFUS later this year.
About ExAblate(R) 4000
ExAblate is the first system to use the MR guided focused
ultrasound technology that combines MRI - to visualize the body anatomy, plan
the treatment and monitor treatment outcome in real time - and high intensity
focused ultrasound to target brain tissue non-invasively. MR thermometry
allows the physician to control and adjust the treatment in real time to
ensure that the targeted area is fully treated and surrounding tissue is
spared. The ExAblate 4000 is a platform for a variety of transcranial
indications, such as brain tumors, functional neurosurgery, stroke and
targeted drug delivery.
The ExAblate(R) 2000, based on the same technology, was
approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 2004 as a treatment for
symptomatic uterine fibroids. 5,000 women have been treated worldwide to
date. ExAblate 2000 received the European CE Mark certification for pain
palliation of bone metastases in June 2007.
About InSightec
InSightec Ltd. is a privately held company owned by Elbit
Imaging, General Electric, MediTech Advisors, LLC and employees. It was
founded in 1999 to develop the breakthrough MR guided Focused Ultrasound
technology and transform it into the next generation operating room.
Headquartered near Haifa, Israel, the company has over 160 employees and has
invested more than $150 million in research, development, and clinical
investigations. Its U.S. headquarters are located in Dallas, Texas. For more
For more information, read the article
tml) which appeared in the Neue Zurcher Zeitung. (Due to the length of this
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Media Contact:
Hollister Hovey
Lazar Partners
+1-646-871-8482
hhovey@lazarpartners.com
SOURCE: InSightec Ltd
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