The Medical Research Institute Kitano Hospital (Kita-ku, Osaka City, Chairman: Inagaki Nobuya), a public interest incorporated foundation, became the third hospital in the Kinki region to start offering MR-guided focused ultrasound therapy (MRgFUS) in March 2021, which uses ultrasound to treat essential tremor and tremors that are resistant to medication for Parkinson's disease. On October 25, 2024, the hospital became the first in the Kinki region to reach 200 cases.

Approximately 12% of MRgFUS treatments nationwide are performed at our hospital

Since it became covered by insurance in 2019, more than 1,620 cases* of MRgFUS have been treated at facilities (18 facilities nationwide) that have implemented the procedure. Our hospital has now treated 200 cases (see graph below), accounting for approximately 121 TP3T cases nationwide.

At our hospital's neurology center, we offer a variety of treatment options for patients suffering from tremors, including drug therapy, MRgFUS, and deep brain stimulation (DBS). For tremors that are resistant to medication, surgical treatment may be necessary, but MRgFUS uses ultrasound, which, unlike conventional DBS, does not require drilling holes in the skull and implanting electrodes into the brain, allowing patients to undergo treatment with greater peace of mind.

* According to research by InSightec (as of October 25, 2024)

• Tremor and Parkinson's Disease Outpatient Clinic

Research aimed at expanding the indications for MRgFUS

In September 2024, our hospital reported that sufficient therapeutic effects can be expected even in patients with a skull surface-to-internal density ratio (SDR) of less than 0.4, a condition previously considered difficult to treat with MRgFUS, and this was published in the journal Neurosurgical Focus of the North American Neurosurgical Society. Our hospital will continue to conduct further research in order to provide a less invasive treatment method to as many patients as possible.

• Report on an effective treatment method using MR-guided focused ultrasound (MRgFUS) for essential tremor and Parkinson's disease tremors

Actual treatment situation

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