Transcranial focused ultrasound in neurosurgery: therapeutic possibilities and experimental studies

Abstract

Introduction. Since modern technologies have managed to bypass the bone barrier for ultrasound waves, the arsenal of neurosurgical instruments has been replenished with transcranial focused ultrasound (FUS). The combination of this method with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) allows you to perform operations under the direct control of the location of the focus of destruction and the degree of its severity during the procedure.Aim. To present a review of the literature on the modern application of the focused ultrasound under MRI control (MRgFUS) method in neurosurgery. Ultrasound has been used in medicine mainly for diagnostic purposes for decades. Modern technologies have led to the possibility of using ultrasound in neurosurgery for therapeutic purposes without open intervention. Today transcranial MRgFUS is an innovation in medicine, expanding the horizons of minimally invasive surgery. The conducted studies of the focused ultrasound method prove the effective treatment of tremor and a number of other pathologies, and many scientific projects represent promising areas.Conclusion. The use of the MRgFUS method opens up broad prospects.