A team at the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) and the University of Maryland Medical Center (UMMC) have launched a new clinical trial investigating the safety and effectiveness of MRI-guided focused ultrasound (MRgFUS) to treat the motor complications of Parkinson’s disease. The trial is led by Dr. Howard Eisenberg, the R.K. Thompson Professor of Neurosurgery at UMSOM, in collaboration with a multidisciplinary team of researchers from the Departments of Neurology and Diagnostic Radiology.
Researchers are using focused ultrasound to ablate — or precisely remove — a small target in the brain called the pallidothalamic tract (PTT), which is part of the motor control circuitry between the thalamus and pallidum. The FUS technology, already approved for several other indications, uses ultrasound to heat a small spot in the brain much like a magnifying glass uses sunlight to heat a small spot on a piece of paper. Ultrasound passes through the skin and skull and into the brain to the PTT without cutting or drilling through the skull.
The research study will test the safety and effectiveness of FUS pallidothalamotomy as a staged (two procedures; six months apart), bilateral (both sides of the brain) procedure to treat the motor complications in patients with idiopathic, or of unknown origin, Parkinson’s disease. The trial is open to patients with Parkinson’s disease with motor symptoms in both sides of the body that are not adequately managed by medications. The length of this study for participants is 12 to 18 months and requires a screening visit, up to two treatments, and follow-up visits to the UMSOM. The study will enroll up to 50 subjects worldwide.
The study is funded by Insightec, an industry sponsor that manufactures the Exablate Neuro device used to deliver the FUS treatment.
To learn more about this trial, please contact:
Charlie Klontz
Department of Neurosurgery | Clinical Research Assistant
410-328-5332
Kaitlyn Henry
Department of Neurosurgery | Clinical Research Supervisor
410-328-0939