Clinicians at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust have used ground-breaking treatment on patients with debilitating tremors.
High-intensity, focused ultrasound waves are being used for the first time in the UK to treat patients instead of the traditional invasive brain surgery techniques.
The procedure is the subject of a trial at the trust, which is in Kensington, supported by a £1 million grant from Imperial College Healthcare Charity to enable the purchase of special equipment to deliver the ultrasound.
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It is currently limited to around 20 suitable patients with essential tremor (ET).
Around one million people in the UK are affected by brain disorder, which is characterised by uncontrollable shaking.
Approximately, 100,000 people also have tremors caused by other movement disorders such as Parkinson’s disease or multiple sclerosis.
Currently, patients with ET or other types of tremor are offered anti-tremor medication, but if the medication is ineffective or causes adverse side effects, some patients are offered deep brain stimulation (DBS), though this brings a risk of brain hemorrhage or even death.
The new treatment, known as "MRI-guided focused ultrasound for brain" works by accurately applying heat energy from ultrasound waves to very specific parts of the brain to break abnormal electrical circuit causing the tremor.
The procedure is performed under local anaesthetic, and trials in America and Japan have shown that it reduces the severity of a tremor by at least 80%.
It also works immediately and the results are expected to be long-lasting.
Selwyn Lucas, a 52-year-old painter and decorator from St Austell in Cornwall, is one of the first people to receive the treatment as part of the trial in the UK.
He has lived with a tremor in his right hand for more than 20 years, which has grown progressively worse over the last five years.
He said: “For many years I managed to live a relatively normal life with my tremor but over the last five years it had started to prevent me from leading the life I wanted to lead.
"It was also particularly difficult to continue my job as a painter and decorator as I had to learn to perform my job using my left hand and being a right-handed person this slowed my ability to complete jobs.
“Since the treatment I have been able to write my own name for the first time in many years and taken my wife out for a lovely meal without fear of embarrassing myself.
"I will also be able to go back to using my right hand which will allow me to take on more painting and decorating jobs.”
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