ExAblate Transcranial MRgFUS for the Management of Treatment-Refractory Movement Disorders
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ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02252380 |
Recruitment Status :
Active, not recruiting
First Posted : September 30, 2014
Last Update Posted : September 8, 2021
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Condition or disease | Intervention/treatment | Phase |
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Movement Disorders Essential Tremor Holmes Tremor Parkinson's Disease Wilson's Disease Huntington's Disease Dystonia Tardive Dyskinesia Orofacial Dyskinesias | Device: Transcranial ExAblate System | Not Applicable |
The purpose of this study is to evaluate the safety and initial effectiveness of MRI-guided focused ultrasound thermal ablation of a designated area in the brain of patients suffering from movement disorder symptoms:
- FUS under MRI-guidance and MRI-based thermometry can be safely delivered to patients suffering from treatment-refractory movement disorders through an intact human skull with a low risk of transient adverse effects as evaluated during follow-up of up to 12-months.
- A pre-defined target volume inside the brain can be accurately ablated, as demonstrated on post-treatment MRI.
- Lesions generated with ExAblate Neuro will result in clinical effects that are similar to those seen with ablative procedures using other surgical techniques (e.g. RF procedure).
Study Type : | Interventional (Clinical Trial) |
Estimated Enrollment : | 10 participants |
Allocation: | N/A |
Intervention Model: | Single Group Assignment |
Masking: | None (Open Label) |
Primary Purpose: | Treatment |
Official Title: | A Feasibility Clinical Trial of the Magnetic Resonance Guided Focused Ultrasound (MRgFUS) for the Management of Treatment-Refractory Movement Disorders |
Study Start Date : | May 2015 |
Estimated Primary Completion Date : | December 2021 |
Estimated Study Completion Date : | December 2021 |

Arm | Intervention/treatment |
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Experimental: Transcranial ExAblate System
Transcranial ExAblate System (MRgFUS)
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Device: Transcranial ExAblate System
MR Guided Focused Ultrasound
Other Names:
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- Severity of Device and Procedure Related Complications [ Time Frame: At the time of ExAblate procedure ]Safety will be evaluated individually for each subject who is treated

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Ages Eligible for Study: | 18 Years to 85 Years (Adult, Older Adult) |
Sexes Eligible for Study: | All |
Accepts Healthy Volunteers: | No |
Inclusion Criteria:
- Men and women, between 18 and 85 years, inclusive.
- Subjects who are able and willing to give consent and able to attend all study visits.
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A movement disorder symptom that has been deemed treatment-refractory by a movement disorder neurologist, including:
o akathisia, akinesia, athetosis, bradykinesia, chorea, dystonia, tremor, myoclonus, dyskinesia, spasms, tics
- Medication-refractoriness as determined by an adequate dose and duration of standard movement disorders treatment as determined by a specialist neurologist (e.g. a trial of primidone and propranolol for ET)
- Able to communicate sensations during the ExAblate Neuro treatment
- Stable doses of all medications for 30 days prior to study entry and for the duration of the study.
Exclusion Criteria:
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Patients with unstable cardiac status including:
- Unstable angina pectoris on medication
- Patients with documented myocardial infarction within six months of protocol entry
- Congestive heart failure requiring medication (other than diuretic)
- Patients on anti-arrhythmic drugs
- Severe hypertension (diastolic BP > 100 on medication)
- Patients with standard contraindications for MR imaging such as non-MRI compatible implanted metallic devices including cardiac pacemakers, size limitations, etc.
- History of abnormal bleeding and/or coagulopathy (including deep venous thrombosis)
- Cerebrovascular disease (multiple CVA or CVA within 6 months)
- Symptoms and signs of increased intracranial pressure (e.g. headache, nausea, vomiting, lethargy, and papilledema)
- Untreated, uncontrolled sleep apnea
- Active or suspected acute or chronic uncontrolled infection
- History of intracranial hemorrhage
- Individuals who are not able or willing to tolerate the required prolonged stationary supine position during treatment
- Are participating or have participated in another clinical trial in the last 30 days
- Patients unable to communicate with the investigator and staff.
- Presence of any other neurodegenerative disease like multisystem atrophy, progressive supranuclear palsy, dementia with Lewy bodies, and Alzheimer's disease.
- Patients with a history of seizures within the past year
- Patients with psychiatric illness that are not well controlled. Any presence of psychosis will be excluded.
- Patients with risk factors for intraoperative or postoperative bleeding (platelet count less than 100,000 per cubic millimeter) or a documented coagulopathy
- Patients with brain tumors
- Any illness that in the investigator's opinion preclude participation in this study.
- Pregnancy or lactation.
- Patient is unable to provide his own consent for any reason.
- Legal incapacity or limited legal capacity.
- Patients who have DBS or a prior stereotactic ablation of the basal ganglia
- History of immunocompromise, including patient who is HIV positive
- Known life-threatening systemic disease

To learn more about this study, you or your doctor may contact the study research staff using the contact information provided by the sponsor.
Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier (NCT number): NCT02252380
Canada, Ontario | |
Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre | |
Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M4N 3M5 | |
Toronto Western Hospital | |
Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M5T 2S8 |
Principal Investigator: | Andres Lozano, MD | Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre |
Responsible Party: | InSightec |
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: | NCT02252380 |
Other Study ID Numbers: |
MD003 |
First Posted: | September 30, 2014 Key Record Dates |
Last Update Posted: | September 8, 2021 |
Last Verified: | August 2021 |
Hepatolenticular Degeneration Parkinson Disease Dystonia Tremor Dyskinesias Huntington Disease Essential Tremor Movement Disorders Tardive Dyskinesia Parkinsonian Disorders Basal Ganglia Diseases Brain Diseases Central Nervous System Diseases Nervous System Diseases Synucleinopathies |
Neurodegenerative Diseases Neurologic Manifestations Dementia Chorea Heredodegenerative Disorders, Nervous System Genetic Diseases, Inborn Cognition Disorders Neurocognitive Disorders Mental Disorders Liver Diseases Digestive System Diseases Brain Diseases, Metabolic, Inborn Brain Diseases, Metabolic Metabolism, Inborn Errors Metal Metabolism, Inborn Errors |