HIFU for Tremor-Predominant Parkinson's Disease

The UP-PGH Department of Neurosciences celebrates the successful 14th High-Intensity Focused Ultrasound (HIFU) which was done for a patient with tremor-predominant Parkinson’s disease.

HIFU is a non-invasive, non-surgical procedure that targets the ventral inferomedial (VIM) nucleus of the thalamus. This lesioning procedure affords marked improvement in the frequency, amplitude, and severity of the tremors experienced by patients.

Since this was started in PGH during the last quarter of 2021, a total of 14 patients - 12 males and 2 females - had already undergone the procedure. These patients had been living with Parkinson’s disease from 4 to 22 years and had been suffering from difficult to control tremors despite anti-parkinsonian medications.

The HIFU team is composed of Dr. Jose Aguilar and Dr. Kathleen Joy Khu (Division of Neurosurgery) and Dr. Roland Dominic Jamora (Division of Adult Neurology) from the Department of Neurosciences, Dr. Antonio Marlo Nievera, Dr. Nonette Cupino, Mr. Jacob Mata, MSc, Mr. Edgardo De Silva, RRT, and Mr. Rico Polo, RRT from the Department of Radiology, Dr. Geraldine Jose from the Division of Neuro-anesthesiology, Department of Anesthesiology, and Ms. Kathryn Tablizo, RN from the Nursing Division. They are also joined by Dr. Jeffrey Manto and Dr. Julian Santos (CT/MRI Fellows) and the residents from Neurosurgery, Adult Neurology, and Anesthesiology. This procedure is done in partnership with InSightec Japan.

As of writing, PGH is the only center in the country that offers HIFU. This procedure is yet another advancement in the care of Filipino patients with neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson’s disease and is another step forward in achieving the Department of Neurosciences’ vision of being a center of excellence and leadership in Neuroscience-related service.

For further information regarding HIFU, please click on the following link: https://youtu.be/RrPEdXcLndE