Key Points
- A team at the University of Maryland is investigating the safety and feasibility of treating task-specific focal dystonia (TSFD).
- TSFD causes involuntary hand movements or cramping while writing, playing instruments, typing, or playing sports.
The first participant has been treated in a new clinical trial exploring the safety and feasibility of using focused ultrasound ablation to treat task-specific focal dystonia (TSFD). The trial is being led by Dheeraj Gandhi, MBBS, FACR, an interventional neuroradiologist at the University of Maryland Medical Center and is being funded by the Focused Ultrasound Foundation.
TSFD causes involuntary hand movements or cramping, particularly during activities that require repetitive movements such as writing, playing instruments, typing, or sports like golf, table tennis, or juggling. It rarely resolves on its own and it can be career-ending, especially in the case of professional athletes or musicians.
The research study (NCT06367608) will enroll 10 participants and test the use of Insightec’s Exablate Neuro device to noninvasively ablate – or destroy – a small portion of the brain called the globus pallidus internus (GPi), which is associated with TSFD. Researchers will then assess any changes in the participants’ symptoms, quality of life, and perceived effect of the procedure over a period of six months.
“Focal dystonia can be incapacitating, often affecting young adults at the height of their professional careers,” explains Dr. Gandhi. “While botulinum toxin (or Botox) injections remain the mainstay of therapy, the resulting muscle weakness can compromise coordination, speed, and fine motor control.
“Surgical interventions, such as lesioning of the thalamus or GPi, have been reported only anecdotally, and robust clinical data remain scarce. If MR-guided focused ultrasound can be shown to be safe and effective for TSFD, it may offer a promising, minimally invasive alternative to other, often ineffective, therapies.”
In a previous study conducted in Japan, focused ultrasound was shown to improve focal hand dystonia when researchers targeted a different area of the brain: the ventral oralis nucleus. The technology has also been effective in addressing cervical dystonia, which presents as uncontrollable neck muscle spasms.
For Patients
To learn more about this trial, please visit the clinicaltrials.gov site or contact
Dheeraj Gandhi, MBBS, FACR
(248) 497-8856
[email protected]
Najme Hosseini
(410) 328-4068
[email protected]