Lord Julian Fellowes, Oscar-winning screenwriter and acclaimed creator of Downton Abbey and The Gilded Age, recently revealed that he underwent focused ultrasound therapy to treat his essential tremor (ET).
ET is a common neurological disorder that causes involuntary shaking and can make daily tasks and hobbies impossible. It is estimated to impact 8 to 10 times more people than Parkinson’s disease globally.
Focused ultrasound uses ultrasound energy guided by real-time imaging to treat tissue deep in the body without incisions or radiation. Insightec’s Exablate Neuro focused ultrasound device has earned regulatory approval in more than 25 countries to treat ET, and the company notes that its technology has been used to treat more than 25,000 patients worldwide. In the US, the system was granted FDA approval to treat the condition in 2016, and 229 million lives are currently covered for the therapy by public and private payors.
Watch His Story
Fellowes partnered with Insightec to create a video that shows how ET affected his writing—an ability central to his personal and professional life—and how focused ultrasound helped him regain this skill and a sense of normalcy.
He says, “I’ve got the pleasure of being able to write again. If I were talking to someone who was considering having the treatment, I would say to them that, for me, my life feels much more normal again. I haven’t regretted it for one second.”
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