Related Experiment Video
Updated: Oct 10, 2026
MRI-guided Focused Ultrasound Thalamotomy for Patients with Medically-refractory Essential Tremor
Published on: December 13, 2017
[MRI guided stereotactic thalamotomy for the treatment of the neurogenic pain]
I Balás1, C Llumiguano, Z Horvath
1Departamento de Neurocirugía, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Pecs, Hungría.
Introduction:
Medial thalamotomy is one of the first stereotactic operations to have been used for neurogenic pain, has a low complication rate and no risk of the development of iatrogenic neurogenic pain. It represents selective local relief for all types of pain, without causing somatosensorial deficit.
Patients And Methods:
We did 39 posteromedial thalamotomies in patients with persistent intractable pain due to various disorders. The pain was assessed pre- and postoperatively on the VAS (Visual Analogic Scale).
Results:
Half of the patients operated on had relief of pain after thalamotomy. In 84% (n = 39) of our cases this relief occurred on the second day, in 70% (n = 35) after three months, in 63% (n = 27) after six months, in 64% (n = 25) after nine months, in 62% (n = 23) of the patients after 12 months, and in 62% (n = 22) after 24 months. Three patients had temporary complications and one a permanent complication, but this did not make him an invalid.
Conclusion:
Posteromedial stereotactic thalamotomy under MR guidance can provide safe, effective treatment for persistent, intractable pain.
