Surrey: Tremor patient says ultrasound treatment 'transformed' her life - Herbal Care Products

‘My life was transformed by tremors treatment’

The ultrasonic treatment was described as “magic” by a Surrey woman who was unable to eat or drink due to a neurological problem.

After physicians used sound waves to operate deep into Mary Hapgood’s brain, the 72-year-old from Cobham, Surrey, said her life had been “completely transformed”.

It coincides with a request for the treatment to be expanded to more NHS hospitals by the neurosurgeon who performed the non-invasive essential tremor (ET) surgery.

According to a representative for the NHS, the two facilities that were contracted to offer the treatment would “provide sufficient capacity to meet national demand”.

Over a million people in the UK suffer with the disorder, which causes involuntary shaking of certain body parts, but recent research has shown that little is still known about it.

According to the National Tremor Foundation, ET is eight to ten times more common than Parkinson’s disease and is one of the most common neurological movement disorders.

However, before receiving a diagnosis, 70% of individuals with ET were unaware of it.

It can occasionally be treated with medications, which have the potential to cause major negative effects, or brain surgery, which carries the risk of infection and stroke.

Over the course of her 50 years, Ms. Hapgood’s ET gradually got worse.

Her hands were “flapping in the wind” and she claims that “it would have been very obvious” prior to the treatment.

She could hardly get her hand to her face without trembling, which made eating and drinking extremely difficult.

But thanks to the MRI guided focused ultrasound treatment, she was able to avoid having surgery.

Strong ultrasonic waves are used in conjunction with MRI scanners to target specific regions of the brain as part of the treatment.

Prof. Ludvic Zrinzo is a specialist in the surgical treatment of chronic neurological diseases, including tremor, and is affiliated with the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery of the University College London Hospitals NHS Trust.

“I don’t need to polish my knife or get my scalpel out… but I’m still going deep into the brain in a very precise way minimising the risks and improving patient outcomes,” he stated.

There are now only two NHS centers offering the procedure, and patients must wait up to five years to receive specialist ultrasound care on the NHS.

“That is not enough, there are clearly too many patients and these centres are being overwhelmed,” said Professor Zrinzo.

“We are very keen that the equipment we have at The National Hospital is commissioned by the NHS and we’re working with commissioners for this to happen.”

Ms. Hapgood repeated his summons. “More MRI scanners are something I believe we need. Having gone through that terrible period in my life when everything I did was trembling, I firmly believe in this,” she remarked.

A representative for the NHS, however, stated that the two specialized centers were commissioned in light of the 50–150 patients annually who were thought to be eligible for the treatment.

“The two centers will provide adequate capacity to meet national demand and this will continue to be monitored based on current referral numbers and activity within the service,” they continued.

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