DETROIT (WXYZ) — For people living with tremors, even the smallest tasks can feel impossible: signing your name, buttoning a shirt, holding a drink without spilling it. But what if it didn't have to be that way?
Doctors at Henry Ford Hospital are using a new, incision-free brain treatment that can virtually eliminate a tremor in real time, often in a single session.
Watch Keenan's report below
For Jim Jones, this woodworking project is about a time. A retired engineer from Lakeville in Oakland County, Jim is beginning the delicate work of restoring this clock his father handmade 50 years ago.
"Except the little screws that go in each corner. But he made everything else," Jones said.
But the delicate work is tough for Jim, who has developed an essential tremor - a neurological disorder causing involuntary, rhythmic shaking, most notably in his hands.
"This is called a Verge," Jones shows me.
Tremors can make the intricate work painfully slow and at times, dangerous. And everyday tasks become more difficult: Eating, drinking, writing his name, and buttoning his shirt.
"I would say almost 10 years I've been living with the tremor," Jones told me.
But it got worse about five years ago, when medication didn't work.
Essential tremor is one of the most common movement disorders in the U.S., affecting millions of people, especially older adults. It can start at any age, but most often appears in either adolescence or middle age, and is often linked to family history. That’s the case for Jim.
"My grandfather had it, my uncles had it," Jones said.
And Jim thought he would just have to love with the tremor for the rest of his life. Until he got a call from his sister in Ohio.
"She told me, 'Have you checked out this high-energy focused ultrasound?' (and I replied) 'What's that?'" Jim recalled.
High-intensity focused ultrasound, or HIFU, is an incision-free treatment for certain forms of Parkinson's disease and essential tremor like Jim’s. In fact - Jim is one of the first patients to receive this treatment at Henry Ford - the first and only provider with an HIFU center in Southeast Michigan.
At nearly 80 years old, Jim was not an ideal candidate for traditional brain surgery. HIFU is different. It requires no incisions and no general anesthesia. Using an MRI, Neurosurgeon Dr. Efstathios Kondylis focuses ultrasound energy to target the precise area of the brain causing the tremor.
"We create a lesion. And what we think are the cells that are contributing to the tremor so that they can't contribute to that tremor anymore," Dr. Kondylis said.
During treatment, Jim is asked to perform simple tasks like writing his name or drawing a spiral. After about an hour of treatment, the results were clear.
"We'll get one more with him actually sitting and writing like he normally would. And that should really look a lot better," said Dr. Kondylis.
And it does. Jim and I reviewed those drawings and watched the tremor fade.
"You can see the improvement as it goes along," Jones said.
Here’s the real test: Jim’s left hand still shakes for now, but he will also receive HIFU therapy this summer. But with an 80 percent improvement in his right hand, Jim can get back to his woodworking, and restoring his father's clock.
"I can control my movement better," Jones said. "With Parkinson's or Essential Tremor, it's really a blessing."
Doctors at Henry Ford say most patients see about a 70-80 percent reduction in tremor on the treated side, and many of those results last for years. But High-intensity focused ultrasound treatment isn't for everyone, as being in an MRI can be a problem for the claustrophobic. And a thicker skull can prevent the ultrasound waves from getting through. But for those who can get this treatment, like Jim, the results can be life-changing.
