100th patient receives focused ultrasound for essential tremor at The Walton Centre

The Walton Centre NHS Foundation Trust, Liverpool, has reached a milestone in using a cutting-edge treatment for people living with essential tremor.

The specialist neurosciences hospital won the contract to deliver the new service at the end of 2021, making it the first centre in the north of England to offer an incisionless treatment for the condition. Since the service launch in April 2022, 100 patients have undergone the procedure.

Transcranial MR-guided focused ultrasound involves thermal tissue ablation targeted at the key areas of the brain causing the tremors.

Steve O’Connor from West Yorkshire is the 100th patient to receive focused ultrasound at The Walton Centre. He said: “I’ve had essential tremor all my life, so I’ve never known anything different. But over lockdown a couple of years ago, the tremors got much worse. I lecture in creative writing, so being able to write on a whiteboard and even hold a pen to write on paper is incredibly important to me.

“Having focused ultrasound on my dominant side has been revolutionary. It is new to have a hand that doesn’t tremor, and I can’t tell you how much it means to me.”

Eligible patients receive one focused ultrasound treatment to reduce the tremors on one side of their body. Current regulatory approvals demonstrate good clinical durability, with tremor relief maintained at three years. Long-term plans for the service will include reviewing patients who have had the treatment for a second round to address their other side of their body.

Picture: The first patient to receive focused ultrasound at The Walton Centre Maureen Greenough meets the 100th patient Steve O’Connor, shortly after his procedure.

See the full report on page 15 of the August 2024 issue of RAD Magazine.