Transcranial Magnetic Resonance-Guided Focused Ultrasound (tcMRgFUS): An Investigation of the Key Factors to Enhance Treatment Outcomes for Patients with Tremor

Abstract

Transcranial magnetic resonance guided focused ultrasound (tcMRgFUS) is a minimally invasive surgical procedure for the treatment of tremor in movement disorders such as essential tremor (ET), dystonic tremor (DT) and tremor dominant Parkinson’s Disease. This PhD thesis investigates the patient-specific and treatment related factors that influence tremor improvement following treatment with MRgFUS. Patient-specific factors such as the disease type, and properties of the skull were analysed to investigate the relationship with clinical outcomes. Treatment factors such as the MRgFUS lesion location was also investigated with advanced neuroimaging techniques such as diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). The comprehensive study of these factors offers the potential to enhance patient outcomes via improved patient screening and treatment strategy.