Clinical Trial of Focused Ultrasound for Cervical Dystonia Begins

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Key Points

  • The first patient has been treated in a clinical trial in Tokyo that is using focused ultrasound to address cervical dystonia.
  • Cervical dystonia is a painful condition in which neck muscles contract uncontrollably.
  • The Foundation is funding this 10-patient trial.

The first patient has been treated in a new Foundation-funded clinical trial in Tokyo using focused ultrasound to treat patients with cervical dystonia.

Cervical dystonia is a painful condition in which the neck muscles contract uncontrollably. There is currently no cure for this debilitating condition.

The trial will evaluate the safety and initial effectiveness of using Insightec’s Exablate Neuro focused ultrasound device to create a pallidothalamic tractotomy, which interrupts the brain signals believed to be responsible for cervical dystonia.

Shiro Horisawa, MD, a movement disorders specialist at Toyko Women’s Medical University, is leading the 10-patient clinical trial.

For Patients
If you are interested in learning more about this clinical trial, please contact Dr. Horisawa at neurosurgery0222@gmail.com.