Transcranial MRI-Guided Focused Ultrasound: A Review of the Technologic and Neurologic Applications

Pejman Ghanouni; Kim Butts Pauly; W Jeff Elias; Jaimie Henderson; Jason Sheehan; Stephen Monteith; Max Wintermark

doi:10.2214/AJR.14.13632

Transcranial MRI-Guided Focused Ultrasound: A Review of the Technologic and Neurologic Applications

AJR Am J Roentgenol. 2015 Jul;205(1):150-9. doi: 10.2214/AJR.14.13632.

Authors

Pejman Ghanouni¹, Kim Butts Pauly², W Jeff Elias³, Jaimie Henderson⁴, Jason Sheehan³, Stephen Monteith⁵, Max Wintermark⁶

Affiliations

¹ 1 Division of Body MRI, Department of Radiology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA.
² 2 Departments of Radiology and Electrical Engineering and Bioengineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA.
³ 3 Department of Neurosurgery, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA.
⁴ 4 Department of Neurosurgery and Neurology and Neurological Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, CA.
⁵ 5 Department of Neurosurgery, Swedish Medical Center, Seattle, WA.
⁶ 6 Present address: Division of Neuroradiology, Department of Radiology, Stanford University, 300 Pasteur Dr, Rm S047, Stanford, CA 94305-5105.

Abstract

Objective: This article reviews the physical principles of MRI-guided focused ultra-sound and discusses current and potential applications of this exciting technology.

Conclusion: MRI-guided focused ultrasound is a new minimally invasive method of targeted tissue thermal ablation that may be of use to treat central neuropathic pain, essential tremor, Parkinson tremor, and brain tumors. The system has also been used to temporarily disrupt the blood-brain barrier to allow targeted drug delivery to brain tumors.

Keywords: MRI-guided focused ultrasound; brain; brain tumors; movement disorders; neuropathic pain; stroke.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

Brain Diseases / therapy*
High-Intensity Focused Ultrasound Ablation / methods*
Humans
Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Interventional / methods*

Grants and funding

P01 CA159992/CA/NCI NIH HHS/United States