Chronic back pain caused by facet joint disease is latest frontier for MR-guided focused ultrasound clinical trials

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The Focused Ultrasound Surgery Foundation has awarded a $232,808 research award to Wladyslaw M. Gedroyc, M.D. of St. Mary’s Hospital in London for a two-year randomized clinical trial comparing MR-guided focused ultrasound with radiofrequency ablation in the treatment of back pain caused by facet joint disease.

The clinical trial marks the next step in Gedroyc’s pioneering efforts to develop a noninvasive treatment for facet joint disease that provides more complete and longer lasting pain relief than current therapies. He and his team at St. Mary’s Hospital have already conducted a non-randomized pilot clinical trial in which MR-guided focused ultrasound was used to treat 17 patients suffering from extreme back pain caused by facet joint osteoarthritis. Post-treatment assessments show the technology is safe and effective. Click here to read full story and watch video interview.