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DiscussionEssential tremors: Anyone experiencing shaking?
Brain & Nervous System | Last Active: Jan 2 10:57am | Replies (121)Comment receiving replies
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@2life6 I do believe if it was noninvasive it is ultra sound treatment. A friend of mine is having it done at WVU in May. I asked my neurologist about it 7 years ago and he said it was not refined enough back then. But now the Medical facilities of the University of Pittsburgh are performing it so they must have refined it more. I believe also that you have to prove that none of the medications they are treating ET with are working on you. And I know they have to shave your head for the procedure.
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@2life6 Welcome to Mayo Connect, where people share their health journeys and try to help one another along the way. I read this with interest, because I am a third-generation (to my knowledge) tremor sufferer, as well as having Parkinson's Disease spanning 3 generations on both sides of my family. So far I am managing my tremors with primodone in the morning and a single alcoholic beverage in the early evening, but the severity varies from day to day.
The procedure you learned about is called "Deep Brain Stimulation." It has been used for Parkinson's Disease, some Essential Tremors and some forms of epilepsy for a number of years.
The person is placed under aware sedation, and the affected part of the brain is stimulated with a probe. If the tremor stops or is substantially reduced, a permanent probe and stimulation device are implanted. Usually, the patient must fail all anti-tremor medications and have function-altering tremors before being considered for this procedure.
Here is what Mayo Clinic has to say:
https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/deep-brain-stimulation/about/pac-20384562
And here is a "deep dive" into tremor treatment and its long-term effectiveness:
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8397098/