Objective tremor monitoring using tri-axis accelerometer in MRgFUS thalamotomy for essential tremor: a feasibility study.

BACKGROUND

Magnetic resonance-guided focused ultrasound (MRgFUS) thalamotomy has shown promising results in treating pharmaco-resistant essential tremor (ET). This incisionless, image-guided technique targets the ventralis intermedius nucleus of the thalamus with precision, sparing surrounding eloquent tissue.

Objective

This study aims to assess the efficacy of MRgFUS thalamotomy in improving tremor among ET patients, as objectively measured by a tri-axis accelerometer, and to compare these objective measures with the conventional Clinical Rating Scale for Tremor (CRST).

Design

Prospective observational study.

METHODS

Ten ET patients (aged 68.1 ± 11.8 years) received the MRgFUS treatment. Improvements in tremor severity were assessed using primary (CRST), with additional measurements of kinematic feature obtained from a tri-axis accelerometer. Correlations between accelerometer-derived kinematic features and CRST scores were evaluated.

RESULTS

Significant improvement in tremor severity was observed in the cohort, as measured by both the accelerometer and CRST (paired Student's t test, p < 0.05) before and 1 day after the treatment. A moderate-to-strong correlation was found between accelerometer measurements and CRST scores.

CONCLUSION

The tri-axis accelerometer provides an effective means of monitoring tremor reduction following MRgFUS and correlated well to the clinical scales like CRST. This study supports the feasibility of accelerometer-based monitoring in clinical practice for MRgFUS assessment.