East China's first non-invasive brain disease treatment center opens

A non-invasive treatment for essential tremor or Parkinson's disease is now available in Shanghai.

The first non-invasive brain disease treatment center in East China was established at the Shanghai International Medical Center by introducing the region's first equipment to offer focused ultrasound waves to precisely target and ablate tissue deep within the brain with no incisions.

The MR-guided Focused ultrasound (MRgFUS) combines therapeutic acoustic ultrasound waves with continuous magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) guidance, which enables physicians to accurately visualize, plan, guide, monitor and control the treatment while the ultrasound acoustic energy destroys the targeted tissue in the brain.

The treatment is mainly aimed at neurological disorder patients who do not respond to drug treatments or do not want to undergo invasive surgery due to risks and complications.

The first patient with Parkinson's disease received the treatment at the center on Monday.

The 53-year-old patient from Zhejiang Province had been suffering right-hand tremors for three years, which seriously impacted his life and work. However, all kinds of medication had failed.

He went to Dr Sun Bomin at Ruijin Hospital and was diagnosed with tremor-dominant Parkinson's disease and was recommended the new treatment at the Shanghai International Medical Center.

The patient underwent the treatment on Monday and the tremor on the right hand vanished after the less than 2-hour procedure. He was awake during the whole process and talked to the doctors and responded to them.

A follow-up check six hours later confirmed that the 2-milliliter targeted tissue was accurately destroyed without bleeding and other complications.

Parkinson's disease is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder with some 3.6 million patients in China, which is also home to 10 million people with essential tremor.

"Essential tremor and Parkinson's disease are the two commonest neurological disorders. They usually don't shorten patients' lifespan, but imposing tremor can cause significant disability and negatively affect patients' quality of life and that of their caretakers," said Dr Liu Weidong, president of the Shanghai International Medical Center.

"Many patients suffer stress and depression. The non-invasive treatment brings new hope for such patients."