UCI Health offers incision-free, outpatient therapy to control tremors
New program uses focused sound waves to quiet essential tremor and tremors related to Parkinson’s disease
Orange, Calif. — UCI Health has launched an MR-guided, focused ultrasound program, expanding access to breakthrough outpatient treatment options for patients living with essential tremor and tremor-predominant Parkinson’s disease.
“The launch of our precision Focused Ultrasound Program allows essential tremor and Parkinson’s patients to benefit from state-of-the-art, outpatient treatment options close to home,” said UCI Health neurologist Dr. Claire Henchcliffe, a renowned specialist in movement disorders and chair of neurology at the UC Irvine School of Medicine.
The Focused Ultrasound (FUS) Program, Henchcliffe said, also “highlights the importance our academic health system places on increasing patient access to the latest research, clinical trials and innovative treatments to improve function while fostering independence and quality of life.”
Essential tremor is one of the most common movement disorders, according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The involuntary shaking typically occurs in one or both hands without other neurological signs, making it difficult to complete basic activities such as eating, grooming, writing and more.
Located at the new UCI Health — Irvine hospital, the program advances the clinical expertise of the neurologists and neurosurgeons at Orange County’s only academic health system. This program complements the health system’s growing movement disorder services rooted in research excellence and innovation, such as Henchcliffe’s ongoing research into promising stem-cell treatments to restore neural networks lost to Parkinson’s disease.
The FUS program is led by UCI Health neurosurgeon Dr. Michelle Paff. The FDA-approved outpatient treatment for essential tremor uses magnetic resonance imaging to precisely direct acoustic energy, or sound waves, at a tiny area in the brain and destroy the tissue causing the tremors.
Benefits of the outpatient FUS procedure include :
- No incisions or implanted hardware
- Immediate tremor control
- No hospital stay
- No long-term maintenance needed
With the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s approval last year to expand the use of FUS, UCI Health also offers the therapy for tremor-dominant Parkinson's disease and, in some cases, to treat Parkinson's disease that is resistant to standard medications.
For additional information about FUS, visit the Focused Ultrasound Program page or call 714-509-2005.
About UCI Health
UCI Health, one of California’s largest academic health systems, is the clinical enterprise of the University of California, Irvine. The 1,461-bed system comprises its main campus UCI Health — Orange, its flagship hospital, the UCI Health — Irvine acute care hospital and medical campus, four hospitals and affiliated physicians of the UCI Health Community Network in Orange and Los Angeles counties and a network of ambulatory care centers across the region. UCI Health — Orange provides tertiary and quaternary care and is home to the only Orange County-based National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center, high-risk perinatal/neonatal program and American College of Surgeons-verified Level I adult and Level II pediatric trauma center, gold level 1 geriatric emergency department and regional burn center. Powered by UC Irvine, UCI Health serves 5.6 million people in Orange County, western Riverside County and southeast Los Angeles County. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and X (formerly Twitter).