MRgFUS team rounds up another successful year

Last updated Mar 12, 2021

The MRgFUS (MR-guided focused ultrasound) team at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust is led by principal investigator Professor Wladyslaw Gedroyc, who has been working with the technique for more than 20 years. A team including consultant neuroradiologist Brynmor Jones, MRgFUS clinical research fellow Dr Ayesha Jameel, consultant neurologist Dr Peter Bain and consultant neurosurgeon Professor Dipankar Nandi, dedicated MRgFUS radiographers led by Paula Robinson and Susie Wickes, medical physicists Rebecca Quest and Joely Smith, and radiology research coordinators Lesley Honeyfield and Tina Stoycheva, has successfully trialled this innovative treatment unilaterally on 13 patients with essential tremor. Across the 13 patients a 49.5 per cent mean improvement was seen in their spirals scores from immediately pre-procedure to immediately after procedure. This tremor suppression was stable at two years’ follow-up. In addition, the team has performed the first bilateral MRgFUS treatment for essential tremor with great success.

Imperial Health Charity and St Mary’s Development Trust have supported the building of a dedicated MRgFUS centre at St Mary’s Hospital, Paddington, which will include dedicated patient and family rooms, recovery area and a new MRI scanner. It will treat research, private and NHS patients with the aim of improving the quality of life of patients with severe tremor. On the international stage exciting advances have been made in MRgFUS treatment of neuro-oncology, epilepsy, stroke and neuropsychiatric conditions such as depression and OCD.

MRgFUS team — At the presentation of the Finzi prize (right) are Professor Dipankar Nandi, Dr Ayesha Jameel, Professor Wladyslaw Gedroyc and radiology research coordinators Lesley Honeyfield and Tina Stoycheva.

Consolidating and presenting the work, Dr Jameel has won the Royal Society of Medicine’s Finzi Prize 2019, British Society of Neuroradiology Burrows Prize 2019, the RCR’s John Spencer Award 2019, the ECR Invest in Youth Award 2020 and was further recognised at RSNA.

Lead picture: At a parliamentary drop-in event are actor Jim Carter, Imperial Health Charity director of development Hayley Pannick, Professor Wladyslaw Gedroyc and Dr Ayesha Jameel.

Published on page 23 of the January 2021 issue of RAD Magazine.