{"id":9328,"date":"2023-10-16T17:35:35","date_gmt":"2023-10-16T21:35:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/neurosurgery\/?page_id=9328"},"modified":"2025-08-26T12:12:50","modified_gmt":"2025-08-26T16:12:50","slug":"focused-ultrasound","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/neurosurgery\/services\/movement-disorders\/focused-ultrasound\/","title":{"rendered":"Focused Ultrasound"},"content":{"rendered":"

What is focused ultrasound ablation?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Focused ultrasound (FUS) is an incision-less treatment for patients with movement disorders. Like deep brain stimulation, FUS can be an effective treatment option for patients who either do not respond to medication or initially respond to medication that eventually becomes ineffective. FUS is an outpatient procedure, and many patients walk away from the procedure tremor-free.<\/p>\n

Guided by real-time MR imaging, FUS can achieve precise and targeted ablation in the brain. Patients are awake and participate in testing during FUS treatment. A functional neurosurgeon first delivers ultrasound at low power to test whether ablation of the targeted area is safe. Once the safety is established, the target area is ablated for sustained improvement in patient symptoms.<\/p>\n

UNC Health is the only hospital in the country to offer an interdisciplinary clinic for focused ultrasound patients.<\/p>\n

Who is eligible for focused ultrasound?\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Patients who have been diagnosed with movement disorders, such as essential tremor, or who do not receive acceptable tremor relief from medications such as primidone and propanolol may be a candidate and should be seen for a FUS consultation.<\/p>\n

Patients who receive FUS treatment must be able to fit into an MRI and have no metallic implants. During a consultation, our physicians evaluate a patient’s health history to determine if any underlying health conditions exclude a patient from being a candidate.<\/p>\n

Carolina Consortium for Ultrasound Brain Imaging and Therapeutics (CCUBIT)<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The Carolina Consortium for Ultrasound Brain Imaging and Therapeutics (CCUBIT)<\/a> boasts a remarkable assembly of physicians and scientists who bring together expertise in focused ultrasound, brain function, and brain pathologies. This convergence uniquely positions UNC to emerge as a national and international leader in ultrasound for brain imaging and therapy. UNC Health provides comprehensive care to patients undergoing focused ultrasound treatment through collaborative teams in neurosurgery, neurology, and the Biomedical Research Medical Imaging Center.<\/p>\n

You can learn more about focused ultrasound and Dr. Vibhor Krishna\u2019s research on the Krishna Lab<\/a> website.<\/p>\n

A referral from your PCP or Neurologist is required.<\/strong> Referrals can be faxed to 984-974-6741<\/p>\n

To schedule a focused ultrasound consultation, please call 984-974-4175<\/a>\u00a0to schedule.<\/p>\n

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Focused Ultrasound Resources:<\/strong><\/h2>\n