Improving Quality of Life for Essential Tremor - Justin Hilliard, MD; UF Health Neurosurgery

Dr. Justin D. Hilliard, a UF Health neurosurgeon, discusses an incisionless, outpatient treatment for patients diagnosed with a movement disorder known as essential tremor You will learn about focused ultrasound and how it can help people experiencing essential tremor. Focused ultrasound is an FDA-approved, incisionless treatment option performed on an outpatient basis for patients with essential tremor. During the procedure, ultrasound waves are directed through the skull to target a region of the brain called the thalamus. The thalamus is a center within the brain that processes motor information. For those with essential tremor, the thalamus is receiving poor quality information from other regions of the brain, resulting in tremor. Focused ultrasound creates an ablation within the thalamus, disrupting the abnormal flow of information, and thereby significantly reducing tremor. Patients experience instantaneous relief and return home the same day of the procedure.