Key Points
- The 19th biennial meeting of the WSSFN was held in Incheon, Republic of Korea.
- There were 25 abstracts, posters, and flash sessions on focused ultrasound thalamotomy, blood-brain barrier opening, neuromodulation, and technical topics.
- WSSFN president, Jin Woo Chang, MD, PhD, presented a breakfast session on emerging indications of high intensity focused ultrasound.
The 19th biennial meeting of the World Society for Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery (WSSFN) was held in person September 4–7, 2022, at Songdo Convensia in Incheon, Republic of Korea.
The theme for the meeting was “Neuromodulation: Shaping the Future.” Dr. Changzhu Jin, a research professor at Juju National University in Korea (and a former foundation intern), attended the meeting, which was led by WSSFN President Jin Woo Chang, MD, PhD, a neurosurgeon who is an expert in focused ultrasound. Dr. Chang presented a breakfast session on emerging indications of high intensity focused ultrasound.
“Focused ultrasound has become one of the mainstay surgical treatment modalities for neurological disorders such as essential tremor and Parkinson’s disease,” said Dr. Chang. “As well, using focused ultrasound to open the blood-brain barrier has emerged as a new research field full of potential for many incurable brain disorders such as glioblastoma and Alzheimer’s disease.”
Many recent scientific results were presented, leaving attendees with a clear view of current techniques in the field. Prof. Andres M. Lozano from Toronto gave a keynote lecture called “Where are We Going with Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS)?” He summarized the technical advances of DBS in last decade and predicted trends for the near future.
“It was sensational to witness many of the latest scientific investigations and novel technologies being developed in the field of stereotactic and functional neurosurgery that are greatly widening our horizon,” said Dr. Jin. “The energetic discussions across different fields brought us new ideas for focused ultrasound brain applications.”
Studies that have been done to improve the resolution of conventional MR images via deep learning technology show great potential. There is a trend toward using tractography to visualize brain connectivity for better DBS and focused ultrasound treatments. Overall, the content of the meeting was well balanced between technical and clinical study reports.
Abstracts: Oral Presentations, Posters, and Flash Sessions
There were 25 abstracts, posters, and flash sessions on focused ultrasound thalamotomy, blood-brain barrier opening, neuromodulation, and technical topics.
Thalamotomy
- Machine Learning-Driven Individualized MR-Guided Focused Ultrasound Thalamotomies by Alexandre Boutet, Jürgen Germann, Alfonso Fasano, Michael L. Schwartz, and Andres M. Lozano (Canada)
- Probabilistic Tractography Targeting for Magnetic Resonance-Guided Focused Ultrasound Thalamotomy for Essential Tremor by Evangelia Tsolaki, Katherine Fu, Michael Chodakiewitz, Wenxin Wei, and Ausaf Bari (United States)
- One-Year Follow-up of Bilateral Focused Ultrasound Thalamotomy for Essential Tremor (BEST-FUS trial) by Can Sarica, Christian Iorio-Morin, Kazuaki Yamamoto, Ajmal Zemmar, Vanessa Milano, Artur Vetkas, Mathieu Levesque, Simon Brisebois, Carolina Candeias da Silva, Nardin Samuel, Cletus Cheyuo, Suneil K. Kalia, Mojgan Hodaie, Alfonso Fasano, and Andres M. Lozano (Canada)
- Ipsilateral and Axial Tremor Response to Focused Ultrasound Thalamotomy for Essential Tremor: Clinical Outcomes and Probabilistic Mapping by Kazuaki Yamamoto, Can Sarica, Gavin J.B. Elias, Alexandre Boutet, Jürgen Germann, Aaron Loh, Dave Gwun, Ajmal Zemmar, Artur Vetkas, Michael Schwartz, Andres Lozano, Alfonso Fasano (Canada)
- Focused Ultrasound Thalamotomy: A Comparison of Probabilistic Mapping of Location and Clinical Benefit in Tremor-dominant Parkinson Disease Versus Essential Tremor Patients by Cletus Cheyuo, Kazuaki Yamamoto, Jürgen Germann, Aaron Loh, Can Sarica, Yuri Borges, Suneil Kalia, Mojgan Hodaie, Alfonso Fasano, and Andres Lozano (Canada)
- Impact of Thalamic Asymmetry on Treatment Strategy of Tremor in MR-Guided Focused Ultrasound Thalamotomy by Namiko Nishida, Kazushi Kitamura, Junpei Sugiyama, Wataru Yoshizaki, Takashi Hanyu, Ryota Motoie, Masahiro Sawada, Yosuke Taruno, Taro Nishi, Miki Ohshima, Yuki Satake, Takayoshi Ishimori, Ryosuke Okumura, Makio Takahashi, and Hiroki Toda (Japan)
- Technical and Operative Factors Affecting Magnetic Resonance Imaging? Guided Focused Ultrasound Thalamotomy for Essential Tremor: Experience from 250 Treatments by Myung Ji Kim, Kyung Won Chang, So Hee Park, Won Seok Chang, Hyun Ho Jung, and Jin Woo Chang (Republic of Korea)
- Immediate and Early Postoperative Tremor Fluctuation and 6–12 Month Tremor Outcomes after Magnetic Resonance-Guided Focused Ultrasound for Essential Tremor by Kazushi Kitamura, Ryota Motoie, Namiko Nishida, Jympei Sugiyama, Wataru Yoshizaki, and Hiroki Toda (Japan)
- Correlation of Lesion Persistence and Outcomes in MR-Guided Focused Ultrasound Thalamotomy for Essential Tremor by Melissa Chua, Sarah Blitz, Alfredo Pinzon, Michele Cavallari, Rees Cosgrove, Charles Guttmann (United States)
- Staged Bilateral Magnetic Resonance Image-Guided Focus Ultrasound Thalamotomy for Essential Tremor by Hidehiro Hirabayashi, Kenji Fukutome, and Hideyuki Ohnishi (Japan)
- Focused Ultrasound Thalamotomy for Refractory Essential Tremor: A Japanese Multicenter Single-Arm Study with Recent Topic by Keiichi Abe, Shiro Horisawa, Toshio Yamaguchi, Hiroki Hori, Kazumichi Yamada, Kimito Kondo, Hironori Furukawa, Hajime Kamada, Haruhiko Kishima, Satoru Oshino, Hideki Mochizuki, Manabu Kanemoto, Hidehiro Hirabayashi, Kenji Fukutome, Hideyuki Ohnishi, and Keiji (Japan)
- Characteristics of Pain during MRI-Guided Focused Ultrasound Thalamotomy by Xin He, Satoru Oshino, Koichi Hosomi, Manabu Kanemoto, Naoki Tani, and Haruhiko Kishima (Japan)
- Peak Time Difference of Paracellular and Transcellular Blood-Brain Barrier Delivery Enhanced by Low-Intensity Focused Ultrasound by Younghee Seo, Kyung Won Chang, Jihyeon Lee, Chanho Kong, Jaewoo Shin, Jin Woo Chnag, Young Cheol Na, and Won Seok Chang (Republic of Korea)
- Magnetic Resonance Image Guided Focused Ultrasound (MRgFUS) Thalamotomy for Tremor Dominant Parkinson’s Disease. A Single Center Experience by Giovanni Broggi, Nico Golfrè Andreasi, Luigi Michele Romito, Sara Rinaldo, Marina Grisoli, Sylvie Hélène Marie Jeanne Piacentini, Elisa Francesca Maria Ciceri, Maria Grazia Bruzzone, and Roberto Eleopra (Italy)
- Study of HIFU Thalamotomy Lesions in Essential Tremor and Parkinson Disease in a Large Cohort of Patients by Olga Maria Parras, Mari-Cruz Rodríguez Oroz, Miguel Fernández Martínez, Maria Aranzazu Gorospe Osinalde, Iciar Aviles Olmos, Lain Hermes Gonzalez Quarante, and Jorge Guridi Legarra (United Kingdom)
Blood-Brain Barrier Opening
- Extensive Frontal Focused Ultrasound—Mediated Blood-Brain Barrier Opening for the Treatment of Alzheimer’s Disease: A Proof-of-Concept Study by So Hee Park, Kyoungwon Baik, Seun Jeon, Won Seok Chang, Byoung Seok Ye, and Jin Woo Chang (Republic of Korea)
- The Interesting MR Findings after Low Intensity Focused Ultrasound Induced BBBD in Three Clinical Trials by Kyung Won Chang, Itay Rachmilevitch, Rafi de Picciotto, Won Seok Chang, Hyun Ho Jung, and Jin Woo Chang (Republic of Korea)
- Increased Expression of P2X7 Receptor during Blood-Brain Barrier Opening by Low-Intensity Focused Ultrasound by Young Cheol Na, Jiyeon Sim, Jihyeon Lee, Chanho Kong, Won Seok Chang, and Jin Woo Chang (Republic of Korea)
- Peak Time Difference of Paracellular and Transcellular Blood-Brain Barrier Delivery Enhanced by Low-Intensity Focused Ultrasound by Tounghee Seo, Kyung Won Chang, Jihyeon Lee, Chanho Kong, Jaewoo Shin, Jin Woo Chnag, Young Cheol Na, and Won Seok Chang (Republic of Korea)
Neuromodulation
- Safety and Feasibility of Neuromodulation for Drug-Resistant Epilepsy by Low Intensity Focused Ultrasound, an Intracranial EEG Study by Cheng-chia Lee (Taiwan)
- Attempt of Ultrasound Stimulation for Thalamic Nuclei during MR-Guided Focused Ultrasound Therapy by Kenji Sugiyama, Makoto Kadowaki, Hiroki Namba, Takao Nozaki, and Kazuhiko Kurozumi (Japan)
- Focused Ultrasound-Induced Endogenous Neural Stem Cell Activation by Sangheon Han, Younghee Seo, Jin Woo Chang, Young Cheol Na, and Won Seok Chang (Republic of Korea)
Technical
- Factors Associated with Energy Efficiency of Focused Ultrasound through the Skull: A Study of 3D-Printed Skull Phantoms and Its Comparison with Clinical Experiences by So Hee Park, Chanho Kong, Jaewoo Shin, Hee Gyu Baek, Juyoung Park, Sung Ho Kim, Young Cheol Na, Won Seok Chang, and Jin Woo Chang (Republic of Korea)
- Scalp Nerve Block Alleviates Headache Associated with Sonication Using Moderate Energy Level during Transcranial Focused Ultrasound by Makoto Kadowaki, Kenji Sugiyama, Takao Nozaki, Hiroki Namba, and Kazuhiko Kurozumi (Japan)
- Applying Focused Ultrasound to Photodynamic Therapy with Sensitizers in Rat Glioblastoma Model by Junwon Park, Chanho Kong, Jaewoo Shin, Youngcheol Na, Seunghee Han, Jinwoo Chang, and Wonseok Chang (Republic of Korea)
WSSFN is a worldwide network for scientific exchange, innovation, mutual support, and education.