Functional Neurosurgery in the Human Thalamus by Transcranial Magnetic Resonance Guided Focused Ultrasound

Potential applications of Transcranial Magnetic Resonance guided Focused Ultrasound (TcMRgFUS) include treatment of functional brain disorders, such as Parkinson’s disease, dystonia and tremor, neurogenic pain and tinnitus, neuropsychiatric disorders and epilepsy. In this study we demonstrate the feasibility of non‐invasive TcMRgFUS ablation of clinically well established targets in the human thalamus that are currently accessed stereotactically by interventional strategies based on the concept of the thalamocortical dysrhythmia (TCD). Thermal hotspots suitable for clinical intervention were created successfully in anatomical preparations of human ex‐vivo heads under pseudo clinical conditions. The hotspots could be positioned at the target locations as needed and local energy deposition was sufficient to create tissue ablation. Numerical simulations based on these experimental data predict that the acoustic energy needed to create ablative lesions in‐vivo will be within limits that can safely applied.