200th Sunnybrook patient receives focused ultrasound treatment for essential tremor
Andy Hodgson is the 200th patient to be treated at Sunnybrook with MRI-guided focused ultrasound for essential tremor.
Essential tremor is a common neurological disease that leaves patients experiencing debilitating tremors in any part of the body, but most often in the arms and hands.
“Over the years, my hands always shook. Back then I thought, ‘Maybe I’m just nervous and this is what happens,’” says Andy. “But these tremors slowly took over my life. Things like writing became difficult. Eating and drinking have been hard. I haven’t been able to hold a glass without using two hands, for years.”
In 2012, Sunnybrook researchers pioneered focused ultrasound for essential tremor, a scalpel-free surgery which utilizes sound waves to reach areas deep inside the brain to lesion cells that are responsible for the tremor. Focused ultrasound has been shown to significantly improve tremor symptoms in many patients. Health Canada and the Food and Drug Administration in the United States approved focused ultrasound treatment for essential tremor in 2016. In 2019, the province of Ontario announced $1.4 million in funding for patients with essential tremor to receive the focused ultrasound treatment.
The 200th patient at Sunnybrook to be treated with focused ultrasound for essential tremor marks a special milestone that highlights Sunnybrook’s expertise and leadership in the field.
“Over the years we have seen how this innovative approach to precisely target areas inside the brain, without use of scalpels or cutting, can improve tremor and have a positive impact on patients’ quality of life,” says Dr. Lipsman, neurosurgeon and director of the Harquail Centre for Neuromodulation at Sunnybrook.
After his focused ultrasound treatment, Andy was given a cup of water to drink.
“I want to savour this,” said Andy as he took his first sips with a big smile. “I haven’t been able to hold a cup like this in 30 years. This is amazing.”
“I am grateful and proud to be part of this treatment that is cutting edge,” says Andy.
“I hope that this helps give hope to others who are dealing with essential tremor,” he adds. “The stigma of tremors and its perceived weakness is incredibly painful - something only people with tremors truly understand. After this procedure, I now have the gift of understanding that I was not at fault or weak but rather, there was an actual problem in my brain that I couldn’t help. I hope that sharing this story will help bring about more empathy among family members, friends, coworkers, and the general public at large, and spark more conversations about essential tremor.”
Learn more about focused ultrasound for essential tremor and referrals »
