A Small Trial of Unilateral Focused Ultrasound Pallidotomy for Parkinson Disease

A randomized trial provides safety evidence but little else to guide treatment choice.

Traditional unilateral posteroventral pallidotomy is an established therapy for select patients with Parkinson disease (PD). This manufacturer-sponsored, randomized trial of ultrasound pallidotomy included 94 patients with PD and motor impairment plus either dyskinesias in the on-medication state or motor fluctuations. Participants were randomized 3:1 to focused ultrasound ablation (FUS) of the globus pallidus internus opposite the most symptomatic PD side, or to sham. The primary outcome was a decrease of ≥3 points from baseline on either the Movement Disorders Society–Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale, part III (MDS-UPDRS III) for the treated side in the off-medication state, or the Unified Dyskinesia Rating Scale (UDysRS) in the o…

Reviewing Author

Michael S. Okun, MD

Disclosures

Consultant/Advisory BoardParkinson’s Foundation; Tourette Association of America

Speaker’s BureauMedscape/WebMD CME, Movement Disorders Society CME, American Academy of Neurology CME

RoyaltiesBooks4Patients; Demos; Cambridge; Taylor and Francis; Robert Rose; Public Affairs

Grant/Research SupportNational Institutes of Health; Parkinson’s Foundation; Tourette Association of America; University of Florida Foundation

Editorial BoardsTremor and Other Hyperkinetic Movements; JAMA Neurology

Leadership Positions in Professional SocietiesParkinson’s Foundation (Medical Advisor)