INSIGHTEC, maker of MR-guided focused ultrasound systems out of Israel, has received FDA approval to have its Exablate Neuro system alongside GE Healthcare’s 1.5 Tesla MRI to be used for treatment of essential tremor in patients not sufficiently responding to drugs. Using MRI to image and target the ventral intermediate (VIM) thalamic nucleus in the brain, the system delivers focused ultrasound beams that ablate the tissue without having to open up the cranium.
The 1.5 T indication is separate from the previously received 3.0T approval, and involves a different MR head coil. The importance of the new approval is that it allows hospitals with 1.5 T MRI machines, of which there are a lot more of than 3.0 T, to also offer MR-guided focused ultrasound procedures.
Here’s a short video from INSIGHTEC about the workings of its technology:
Flashback: Exablate Neuro MRI-Guided Focused Ultrasound for Essential Tremor Now Available in U.S…
Product page: Exablate Neuro…
Via: INSIGHTEC…