Tuesday, June 26, 2018
INSIGHTEC® , the world's leading innovator of medical technology in non-incision surgery, announced today that the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has issued a positive NICE address for unilateral ultrasound-guided guided MRI scans for treatment-resistant essential tremor ( ET). ET affects more than 1 million people in the United Kingdom, interfering with their ability to perform daily tasks due to the uncontrollable agitation of their hands.
The Imperial College Healthcare Trust NHS Trust is the first and only site in the UK with Exablate Neuro ™ technology that deals in essential tremor. To date, 16 patients with TS have been treated at St. Mary's through a multidisciplinary expert team that includes Professor Wladyslaw Gedroyc, Consultant Radiologist, Dr. Peter Bain , Neurologist Consultant and Professor Dipankar Nandi , Neurosurgeon Consultant.
"The patients with essential tremor treated at St Mary's have experienced very substantial improvements in the severity of their tremor, as well as in the quality of life," commented Professor Dipankar Nandi , Neurosurgeon Consultant and Head of the St Mary's Hospital Department, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust. "In addition, the safety profile is favorable, as minor and often temporary side effects experienced within this group."
During the treatment, ultrasound waves pass safely through the skull to ablate a small point in the brain that is considered responsible for the tremor. The result is often an immediate improvement of the tremor in the treated hand. Thanks to the non-incised nature of focused ultrasound, there is no risk of infection, and patients recover quickly.
"The NICE positive direction is added to the growing body of positive health technology determinations for incisional brain surgery using INSIGHTEC's Exablate Neuro," explained Maurice R. Ferré, MD , CEO and chairman of INSIGHTEC's board of directors. "This is a vital step to increase patient access to our technology around the world."
